On Wednesday, Alexandre Texier had the game of his life, putting up three points and a goal in the Montreal Canadiens' 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames. That's a performance worth talking about for more reasons than just awesome numbers in the box score.
The performance officially put Texier over the 100-point threshold of his career, and it put him in some rare company. Sean Farrell of NHL.com noted that Texier "became the fourth player from France to record a three-point game in the NHL, joining Antoine Roussel (four), Philippe Bozon (two) and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (one). Texier (102 career points) also became the third player born in France to reach NHL 100 points."
It's impressive to snag two milestones in one evening. And given the way Texier has been playing so far with the Canadiens (11 points and 4 goals in 21 games), he may not be finished yet. He's only four three-point games away from taking the top spot on that list, and he's only in his age-26 season.
Farrell also noted that "Roussel leads all players from France with 197 points, and Bellemare is second with 138," meaning Texier isn't that far from taking the second spot for second all-time. He also has plenty of time in his career to close in on Roussel.
Alexandre Texier is fitting in with the Canadiens in ways he never did with the Blues
Given Texier's success so far with the Canadiens, it's another example that, in many cases, the system the player is in makes all the difference. During his time with the Blues, Texier never looked like he belonged in the lineup, playing in just 39 games and putting up 12 points and six goals over one and a quarter seasons before the Blues waived him and ultimately terminated his contract.
Offensively, Texier looked like a liability in St. Louis, posting a Corsi For percentage at even strength of 45.9 despite 50.6 percent of his starts occurring in the offensive zone. His on-ice shooting percentage also dipped below 10 percent. This season, he was pretty much non-existent in St. Louis, appearing in just eight games with a point to show for his efforts across 10:15 of average total ice time.
Contrast that to his small but growing sample size with the Canadiens. Texier has averaged 14:12 of ice time, has brought over a gritty style of play, and hasn't been afraid to take risks when handling the puck, something he seemed hesitant to do while in St. Louis.
Texier is also rocking a 52.0 Corsi For percentage at even strength, despite 48.6 percent of his starts coming in the offensive zone. He has been on the ice for 14 goals, good for a 12.1 on-ice shooting percentage. If anything is trending, it's that Texier isn't the offensive liability he was while in St. Louis.
Should he continue playing well, look for him to keep distinguishing himself as one of the best players from France who has ever played in the NHL. And he could very well end up as the best player to come from France by the time he retires, ideally years from today. He will be worth keeping an eye on for the remainder of the season.