Canadiens Adjust Bottom Six Lines to Boost Offense
Martin St-Louis aims to increase offensive output from Montreal's bottom six forwards through a simple lineup change. The coach has swapped Joe Veleno and Brendan Gallagher to explore new chemistry.
The Canadiens practiced Monday morning in Brossard. St-Louis, who has mostly kept the same lines this season except when injuries required adjustments, decided to make this notable switch. He moved Brendan Gallagher from his veteran line back to play with Kirby Dach and Zack Bolduc. Consequently, Joe Veleno joined Jake Evans and Josh Anderson.
St-Louis expressed satisfaction with both lines' work ethic and style, but hopes this change will spark more scoring opportunities:
"I’m happy with their intentions, with the way they play the game, but I’d like to see if, by making that swap, the Habs could get more offensively from those two lines."
Performance in First Five Games
- Brendan Gallagher played the first five games alongside Dach and Bolduc.
- Zack Bolduc recorded four points in those games.
- Kirby Dach earned two of his three total points during that span.
- Gallagher contributed four of his six points during those initial games.
Meanwhile, Jake Evans and Josh Anderson started the season paired with Patrik Laine but failed to score in those appearances. Despite Laine's efforts, his unpredictable style did not complement their more direct approach to the game.
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Author's summary: Martin St-Louis experiments with swapping forwards Gallagher and Veleno to ignite more offensive production in Montreal's bottom six lines.