Nick Suzuki will be one of the key factors against the Pittsburgh Penguins

That’s been the franchise’s mantra for years, but it’s apparent now more than ever. The Habs do not have the talent the Penguins have. Ignoring having future Hall-of-Famers in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, there is also Patric Hornqvist, who also finds a way to turn it up in the playoffs, as well as newly acquired Jason Zucker and Patrick Marleau.

Additionally, Pittsburgh is probably going to have Jake Guentzel back. Guenztel required surgery for a shoulder injury sustained in December, and the prognosis was four-to-six months. With the NHL only now entering Phase 2 of their Return to Play Plan, he’ll likely be ready to go by the time the season restarts.

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One thing we all know about the playoffs is that it’s generally the bottom-six that stands out. Take the Washington Capitals Stanley Cup run in 2018. The third line led by Lars Eller was a big part of that championship. Why? Because the top two lines worked their hardest to shut each other down, leaving more offensive opportunities for the depth players.

The Play-In isn’t the playoffs, but the stakes of the games are going to push the competitiveness to that level (or at least, that’s what coaches and players will be hoping for). Claude Julien should be focusing on having Danault and Max Domi try to shut down Crosby and Malkin, respectively. That statement screams ‘easier said than done,’ however, that has to be a starting point to whatever game plan the Montreal Canadiens come up with.

With Danault and Domi keeping Crosby and Malkin preoccupied, that will leave Suzuki with a key role: generate offence when the opportunities arise.

That, in of itself, isn’t going to be easy either. Jared McCann will slot in at 3C if Nick Bjugstad isn’t ready to return, and both are solid NHL centres. That said, it’s through Suzuki where the Habs are going to have the best chance to generate.

You can’t cheat for offence against Crosby and Malkin. If either of those two lines tries, Price will be swimming in his crease trying to make stops, and both of those superstars have the resume they do for a reason. Because of that, a calm and calculated defence has to be the focus.

Suzuki, on the other hand, should be using his speed and skill set to drive play when he has the chance. In that case, Julien needs to play with him players who can keep up with playing at that pace and finish or, at the very least, cause chaos in front of the net. The downside is that Suzuki had the majority of his offensive success at 5v5 when playing with Domi and Artturi Lehkonen.

Slotting in with Lehkonen is a possibility. He’s had his bad luck with scoring, but his production has looked better this season. Jordan Weal can’t be on the right. To start out, it should be Paul Byron, who has the speed to match the pace of the line. And there is the chance he re-discovers the scoring that made him such a valuable player.

Alternatively, Julien could value Byron’s defensive play more and bump him to the second line with Domi and have Joel Armia on the right of Suzuki. That would be another serviceable combination given Armia’s breakout performance this season. He’s made better use of his size and skating to get in the right positions to produce, and a player with the IQ of Suzuki can set him up with Lehkonen crashes and bangs in the crease.

It’s going to be an ongoing process picking and choosing who plays where for the Montreal Canadiens. However, I’m sure the third line is going to have an important role in that series. And if the cards are laid out the way I believe they will be, that points to Nick Suzuki.