Montreal Canadiens: Three Stars vs Vancouver Canucks

First Star: Jeff Petry

The Edmonton Oilers have had one of the worst group of defenceman in the NHL for about a decade and it’s because they trade players like Jeff Petry away.

Petry played a phenomenal two-way game again last night, as he does most nights. He plays on the second pairing with Joel Edmundson, provides plenty of offence and doesn’t have to be sheltered from opposing team’s top lines.

Late in the first period, Petry picked up a pass from Paul Byron in the slot. Instead of hammering a slap shot or getting a quick shot off from a distance, he kept his head up and realized he had lots of room in front of him. He stepped up into the slot and when he saw an opening in the top corner, he fired a missile of a wrist shot just below the crossbar and just inside the far post to give the Habs a 3-1 lead after the first period.

Petry would score once again midway through the second period. Tyler Toffoli picked off a pass in the Habs defensive zone and moved the puck up to Corey Perry and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Perry made a terrific toe drag deke to his backhand around the Canucks defender and fed a beautiful pass across to Petry who was crashing the Canucks crease. Petry tapped in the puck for his fourth goal of the season.

Before the end of the second period, Petry fired a shot from the point on the power play that bounced to Shea Weber. Weber fed it to Toffoli in the slot and the Habs newcomer redirected it past a sprawling Holtby. The assist was Petry’s third point of the night and 11th of the season, which tied him for first in league scoring among defencemen.

That’s what makes him a star for the Montreal Canadiens.