Canadiens: Seeking a Spark from the Bottom Six
Martin St-Louis aims to boost the offensive output of his bottom-six forwards by making a simple lineup adjustment. He has decided to swap Joe Veleno and Brendan Gallagher.
The Montreal Canadiens returned to practice Monday morning in Brossard. Although St-Louis has mostly kept the same line combinations this season, aside from injury-related changes, he opted for a notable shift this time.
Gallagher was moved from his veteran line and reunited with Kirby Dach and Zack Bolduc. This change placed Joe Veleno alongside Jake Evans and Josh Anderson.
St-Louis emphasized he is pleased with both lines’ efforts and playing style but wants to see if this switch can generate more offense.
Previous Line Performance
- Gallagher played the first five games with Dach and Bolduc.
- Bolduc recorded four points in those five games.
- Dach earned two of his three points during that span.
- Gallagher contributed four of his six points in those games.
- Evans and Anderson previously played with Patrik Laine in the first five games but were both held pointless.
"Even though Laine tried, he just wasn’t predictable enough for two guys who are used to playing a direct game."
This adjustment reflects St-Louis’ intent to refresh the lineup while maintaining the team's overall structure and style.
Summary: Coach Martin St-Louis tests a bottom-six swap to enhance offense, aiming to capitalize on players' complementary skills without disrupting the team’s core strategy.