Montreal Canadiens: The Return Of The Powerhorse: Josh Anderson Has Ripped The Monkey Off His Back

It appears that the floodgates were a little jammed for Josh Anderson, but number 17 for the Montreal Canadiens appears to have pried them open.

The increased confidence and lightness with the monkey off of his back has been noticeable. He appears to be faster, a sure sign of increased confidence, and things that he stopped doing, have crept back into his game. His renewed energy is a product of his improved play, and with the fans showing their appreciation on Saturday night, he has paid them back with a strong follow-up performance against the Winnipeg Jets after the one against the Islanders. 

After opening the scoring on a deflection off of his skate, Anderson continued to cause havoc around the net. His hard work paid off again, when he slid a pass to Christian Dvorak, who potted the Canadiens' second goal of the night.  He is so back, and it’s nice to see signs of Powerhorse coming back. 

With four goals in his last seven games, after going scoreless for 23 games, Anderson is on a bit of a tear. With back-to-back two-point performances, Anderson is feeling it. What a great present for the Canadiens. 

A recharged powerhorse ready to tackle the next 51 games, playing like he is, will be a treat to watch. The fans, the coaches and the players knew that Anderson would find his way out of the rut. But for him to be flying out there and just looking so happy playing the game he loves after so much frustration, truly shows the importance of Martin St. Louis’s patience and trust.

With 7:36 to go in the third period of the Habs-Jets game, Cole Perfetti knotted things at two, and the game needed a hero to break the stalemate. Perhaps Anderson is the man for the job. I can’t think of a better script than Anderson following up a two-goal performance with a three-point one. It would be so poetic.

Matheson and Jets captain Adam Lowry both took penalties in overtime. Giving the Habs 44 seconds of four on three. Justin Barron fired home the overtime winner, filling in for Matheson on the top power play unit and looking pretty comfortable doing so.

Anderson finished the night with two points, a goal and an assist.  He played 16:18, posted two hits and has a perfect shooting percentage. The powerhorse has found his way back on the tracks.

Anderson earned first star honours for his strong performance. Hopefully it is a sign of things to come as the power forward has shown flashes of brilliance in the past and is a dominant player when he is at the top of his game.