It's got to be Michael Pezzetta time, soon?

The Montreal Canadiens are currently riding a five-game losing streak, and they are welcoming the Auston Matthewsless Toronto Maple Leafs onto home ice on Saturday night.

But regardless of who plays or doesn't for the rival Maple Leafs tonight, it will be business as usual for the Canadiens. The wheels have been wobbling on the wagon lately, and a win against the Maple Leags would go a long way towards boosting the morale in the dressing room. I would guess that the Canadiens won't need much to get motivated to play against the Leafs, but things haven't been working.

I would like to think that going back to the basic's and playing a simple, responsible game will be exactly what the Habs need. Martin St. Louis putting the lineup throug a blender marked a sign that he expects to see improvements. But I think playing a grinding game, and shooting the puck early and often is what the Habs need to get out of this funk.

This leads to a question, where is Michael Pezzetta, he brings energy and physicality to the lineup, often leading to some inspired teammates. I don't know about you, but when I see a heavy body check it gets me out of my seat, or off the couch with excitement. Maybe it's a fight or even a steel-toed boots kind of goal, Pezzetta brings an edge to the team, and Montreal needs that right about now.

It might not be pretty, but at this point they don't all need to be pretty, they just need to go in the net. When you think of Pezzetta, you don't think of goals, but when he does score, he has a flair for the dramatics. It's hard not to get excited when a team player like Pezzetta pots one.

Playing against his hometown team, this could be fun

If ever there were a better time for Pezzetta to return to the lineup it would be against his hometown team. You would have to expect that his buddies and family make the trip from Toronto to Montreal to watch the rivals clash. This is also a great way to kickstart Pezzetta, in an attempt to get the Habs out of their current rut.

Pezzetta has a bit of that Brendan Gallagher abrasiveness to his game, and often he doesn't need to have somebody get him going. He steps on the ice and has a knack for dragging his squad through the trenches to battle. There are many reasons for struggle, systems needing to be reconfigured or trying to do too many things, but battling for the guy beside you and working towards the same goal is what makes the sport so beautiful.

You can't play the game with one player, and anytime you're short a player on the ice, it gets that much harder. In order for the team to play well and be effective, everybody on the ice needs to do their job. Going back to the basics, finishing checks, getting pucks deep and going hard to the net should be the mentality - and just staying persistent and consistent.