Claude Julien’s Shuffling of the Top 3 Centremen Pays Dividends
Claude Julien has oft been criticized in his second tenure as Montreal Canadiens Head Coach, and the past week has been no exception. I myself have found myself questioning a myriad of his decisions, ranging from the powerplay lines to Dale Weise’s spot in the starting lineup to Max Domi being left to dry on the fourth line, and I still find issues with all these decisions.
However, his coaching in the second half of Wednesday’s game was as close to perfect as it gets. I can not think of a single more dominant coaching performance by Claude Juliens since he rejoined the Montreal Canadiens on Valentine’s Day of 2017.
And it all goes back to his bold shuffling of the team’s top three centremen. And do not be mistaken, this was a bold move. Placing two 20-year olds who are each in the midst of their third-ever playoff game at the centres of the team’s top two lines with the team trailing the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 is a daring move. Placing Philip Danault on the third line when he has been super-glued to the top trio since Julien’s return to the organization is daring. Claude Julien is not renowned for his daring coaching, but he was bold in this game, and it paid off massively.
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Philip Danault’s play improved as soon as he found himself between fellow defensive-specialists Artturi Lehkonen and Paul Byron. This third line became Sidney Crosby’s constant matchup, and they pocketed #87. The line was incredibly effective defensively and allowed the Canadiens top line to have some freedom offensively since it would no longer have to be matched with Crosby every shift.
The second line consisted of Jonathan Drouin, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Joel Armia, a line that played great in October and November before Drouin was injured. Their chemistry was apparent soon after the changes to the lineup were made, and it is they who cut the deficit to 1 goal just past the game’s halfway point.
Kotkaniemi has played an excellent series, he, of course, scored a goal in the two opening games, but more importantly, he looks confident, he’s playing some really smart hockey, his skating has vastly improved, and he is using his size, throwing quite a few hits. Given the chance to play in the top-6, he continued to impress. On the Drouin goal, Kotkaniemi beat three Penguins to an errant puck and sent it to Weber, who, in turn, passed it along to Chiarot, whose shot/pass found Drouin’s stick for the deflection goal.
Speaking of Drouin, his play really turned a corner following the tally. He seemed miles more confident on the puck and altogether a dangerous offensive piece. And Joel Armia improved as well. His play has been rather inconsistent in the series, but following the changes in lines, he returned to the effective physical player that he has been for most of the season. He also neutralized the Penguins’ defender’s stick on the Drouin goal, allowing the puck to reach the Montreal native.