Seizing Opportunities | Three Stars of the Week, NHL, Habs, Montreal Canadiens, Jonathan Drouin, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Brendan Gallagher
ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA — Hello there, folks! Back again for another edition of my weekly column here where I take a look back at the week of action for the Canadiens and award my three stars!
Players will earn points each time they appear as a star in this column and at the end of the year, I will award my three stars of the season.
The Canadiens look as though they have gained a little momentum this week with a win over the Senators that snapped their five-game losing streak and followed it up with a split in a two-game set against the Jets. So, who walks away with my three stars this week?
☆ THIRD STAR: Jonathan Drouin
I have been reluctant to include Jonathan Drouin in my column to this point because last season I was convinced he had turned a corner last season, then he was injured and upon his return was a complete non-factor for the Canadiens. The hope that I had entering this season was that Drouin would be a good running mate for Nick Suzuki and their chemistry gained in the Toronto bubble would continue.
To this point, that has largely been the case and that is why Drouin makes an appearance this week. He had a really strong game against the Jets this past Thursday night. One sequence of events I found particularly encouraging was him taking an offensive zone penalty but made up for it with an assist right after his exit from the penalty box. We have seen Jonathan Drouin take some bad penalties in his time as a Hab, very rarely has he made up for them so emphatically.
With two assists against the Jets in the Thursday game and another assist in the Saturday night game, the production has been there from Drouin but more importantly, a more consistent effort. Still some nights you wish he were a little more active, but at this point we know more or less who Drouin is and at the moment he is making some positive contributions.
Drouin is an interesting guy to watch under Dominique Ducharme, given their history with each other in Halifax which is a time that we know that Drouin looks back on in reverence. Under Ducharme, Drouin has an opportunity to play under someone who perhaps has a better chance than anyone to unlock a new level in Drouin’s game. Drouin needs to find a way to be consistent and seize the opportunity he has here.
☆ SECOND STAR: Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Perhaps the player who has benefitted the most from the coaching change has been Jesperi Kotkaniemi and this week that was pretty evident. Ducharme has given Kotkaniemi an opportunity to be a key cog on the Canadiens power play and create scoring opportunities using his playmaking ability and deceptive shot.
With Ducharme taking the reins from Claude Julien, it was going to be interesting what changes he would make and clearly, he and Alex Burrows have given Kotkaniemi a larger role on the power play, but it extends to five-on-five because on Saturday night, Kotkaniemi had Tyler Toffoli and Josh Anderson, the Canadiens two most prolific goal scorers, flanking him.
Kotkaniemi has always been part of lines that generate positive momentum, perhaps not scoring as much as fans would like, but lines that were effective, nonetheless. Giving Kotkaniemi two proven goal-scorers like Toffoli and Anderson seems like a really smart move and it paid immediate dividends with Anderson scoring off an assist from Kotkaniemi and Toffoli scoring later in the game.
For a young player like Kotkaniemi who was biding his time under Julien, waiting to be given more opportunities and a larger role, Ducharme has been a beneficial change. As the old saying goes, “opportunities multiply as they are seized”, Kotkaniemi has made good on the opportunities he has been given since the Habs coaching change.
☆ FIRST STAR: Brendan Gallagher
What a week from Brendan Gallagher. A goal and an assist against Ottawa, a goal against Winnipeg on Thursday and then two goals and an assist in the Saturday rematch against the Jets. That is production that simply cannot go ignored.
The Canadiens were mired in a five-game losing streak until that win over the Senators and when a team is in that kind of a rut, they turn to their leadership group to get them back on track and the Canadiens have needed Gallagher to produce a little bit more and this week he delivered. In the emphatic Saturday night win, we finally saw some signs of life from Phillip Danault who made nice passes to Gallagher on his goals.
I have been making the argument that a lot of the reason why Gallagher and Tomas Tatar have not been producing at the level that is expected of them is because of the poor play from Danault. If Danault can finally start producing as we saw Saturday, that will help Gallagher immensely.
If you are a fan of the Canadiens, Saturday night’s result has to be encouraging given we saw the Tatar-Danault-Gallagher line come to life, but this entire week has been a positive week for Gallagher. Beyond the production, he looks like he has found another gear and that is unquestionably a positive development for the Habs.
This week, the theme is making good on opportunities and I can think of no better poster boy for that than Brendan Gallagher. He makes good on his opportunities and the Montreal Canadiens depend on him to be a guy who does exactly that. These are unsure times for the Canadiens, there is some upheaval and a guy like Gallagher, a leader on this team, will be relied upon to be a steadying presence.
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By Joseph Whalen, Host, Canadiens Connection podcast
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