Canadiens' constant changes continue ahead of crucial Game 3
There have been many constants this season for Montreal, including consistently good goaltending, consistently high expectations and, in a more negative light, consistent struggles to increase scoring. In order to combat that latter constant, Montreal coach Michel Therrien has shuffled his lines all season in the hopes of finding the right combinations.
It seems he still has not found the offensive chemistry he's looking for, and his most recent line-shuffling could be the difference between a longer season or an imminent exit from the playoffs.
This time, Therrien promoted Brendan Gallagher to the top line with Max Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec while shifting Dale Weise down to a line with Lars Eller and Alex Galchenyuk, according to NHL.com.
Pacioretty told NHL.com that he hopes the changes will help his line not only score points, but also overpower their opposing line in all aspects of the game.
"Our line shouldn't be judged based on, well I guess points, yeah, but you should look at the line we're playing against as well and see how we're playing against them," Pacioretty said to NHL.com. "If our line's able to win that matchup, it gives our team a very good chance of winning the game. We haven't been able to do that so far this series."
(h/t NHL)
Photo by Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
