A Winning Habit
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Montreal Canadiens: Three Standout Performances vs St. Louis Blues

By Ken MacMillan

ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 17: Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens defends the net against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on October 17, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Rovak/NHLI via Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 17: Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens defends the net against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on October 17, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Rovak/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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MONTREAL, QC – OCTOBER 12: Jeff Petry #26 (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC – OCTOBER 12: Jeff Petry #26 (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Third Star: Jeff Petry

Jeff Petry will make great, flashy plays offensively from time to time. He didn’t do that yesterday against the St. Louis Blues, but he quietly put together an excellent game that played a big role in the Canadiens coming away with two big points early in the season.

Petry plays in all situations for the Habs and last night he played more than anyone else with 21:50 in ice time. The Canadiens led for more than 40 minutes of yesterday’s win and the team that is trailing has a tendency to play a little more desperate and control the play. This was definitely the case yesterday as the Blues threw everything towards the Habs net, except when Petry was on the ice.

Petry partnered with Brett Kulak and they posted the best possession stats of the Habs defenders, even though they typically face the best competition. The Habs were outshot 34-25 but only 6-5 at even strength when Petry was on the ice.

On special teams, Petry looked even better. He led the team with 4:30 of ice time while on the man advantage. The Canadiens went 2 for 5 on the power play and though Petry didn’t get any points, he started the play that led to Weal’s goal in the first period. He is proving to be a very capable power play quarterback with his vision and calm demeanour at the point.

Petry also played 2:49 on the penalty kill which was second most among Habs defensemen, trailing only Shea Weber. The Habs killed all three penalties off and their special teams was a huge reason for their win. Petry was a huge reason their special teams was so good and he was also fantastic at even strength.

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