Montreal Canadiens: Three Stars vs Winnipeg Jets

Josh Anderson

Montreal Canadiens winger Josh Anderson entered this season under heavy scrutiny from the Habs fan base. He had been acquired for Max Domi and signed to a huge contract extension after scoring just one goal in 27 games last season. He was going to be under the microscope for sure.

Then he went out and scored twice in the very first game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has been a fan favourite ever since.

However, after a terrific start to the season he was in a bit of a slump heading into last night’s game. After scoring 11 points in his first 13 games in a Canadiens sweater, he had just one goal and three points in his previous 11 games.

Last night, Anderson was at his best again. He made a terrific play on the Habs first goal, diving and stretching out to knock a loose puck away from a Jets defender and onto the stick of Jonathan Drouin. The next pass was to Jesperi Kotkaniemi in front and he tapped it in to score the game’s first goal.

Anderson increased the lead to 2-0 when he found a loose puck at the side of the Jets net after a goal mouth scramble. He banked the puck in off of Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck from a tight angle to give the Canadiens a two goal cushion.

The Habs rugged right winger ended the night with just under 16 minutes of ice time, but he played well and consistently throughout the game. When the Habs looked like they might be giving up too many chances late in the third period, Anderson created a couple of turnovers, along with Jesperi Kotkaniemi, that kept the puck in the Jets zone for a while to take the pressure off the Habs defenders and allow them to change and get sorted out.

It also allowed Price to take a breath before making a few more saves to close out the win.