The Montreal Canadiens went on an offensive tear Saturday against the Detroit Red Wing. There was a lot of positive things, but one aspect of it stands out.
Well, that was fun, wasn’t it? After living through the tough stretches of the Montreal Canadiens inability to score at times, seeing them light up the Detroit Red Wings for 10 goals was great.
There are a lot of good things to take away from it. Perhaps it was the fact that the Habs kept the Red Wings from having a shot in the first 10 minutes of the game. Maybe it was Paul Byron scoring his first career hat trick where two were from his signature breakaway. Brendan Gallagher getting his 100th career goal and Jacob de La Rose finding the back of the net for the first time in 49 games were great as well.
After the final buzzer went off, the Montreal Canadiens got what they wanted in terms of the fourth line. Times are different in the NHL where the role of the fourth-liner is expected to contribute to the offence as well. The team has gone through a handful of variations on that line, but it hasn’t been able to put up points as it did against Detroit.
The line of Nicolas Deslauriers, Byron Froese, and Daniel Carr combined for two goals and five assists at even strength. Deslauriers, in particular, had his best game by a country mile as he not only picked up points but also led to the Montreal Canadiens with four hits. It’s pretty textbook stuff, but the trio of players got their chances with a hard forecheck to sustain pressure and outwork Detroit.
Deslaurier’s first goal of the season came from Froese winning a puck battle along the boards and getting it to him in the slot.
#Habs Nicolas Deslauriers finishes a great pass from Byron Froese and scores, extending the @CanadiensMTL lead to 2-0 in the 1st.#DETvsMTL #Hockey #RedWings @DetroitRedWings #Detroit #Montreal pic.twitter.com/8OF6CuM1WC
— Call Out News (@calloutnews) December 3, 2017
The same thing happened with Jordie Benn‘s goal to make it 8-0 as Deslaurier got the puck and found the defenceman alone.
Strength, speed, and work was their mantra, and it got the results. It was only one game, but it looks like this could be the beginning for these players as a unit, especially for Deslauriers.
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Fans were confused when he got the initial call-up ahead of Carr, but we’ve finally seen what the rest of the organization saw in him. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see him play the rest of the season up with the Montreal Canadiens.
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that this line stays together for too long. Jonathan Drouin is still out nursing an injury, and when he comes back, there’s going to be movement. Froese would be pushed either back on the wing or into the press box as de La Rose would return to centering the fourth line. If not Froese, then it would be Carr, but considering how well he’s been since being recalled, it would be a mistake. However, we’ve already seen a player who’s performed well be taken out because of a return to play Jakub Jerabek being sat for Shea Weber.
The Habs don’t play again until Tuesday, and that may give Drouin enough time to recover. Hopefully, the line can continue their level of play even with de La Rose centering it.
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What did you takeaway from the game? Will Julien keep that line together somehow even when Drouin comes back? Let us know your thoughts down below.