Heading into Wednesday night’s game against the Blue Jackets, Cole Caufield leads the Habs with 12 goals.
To the surprise of many, the player following him in this category within the organization is neither the captain nor Slaf, but Brendan Gallagher.
Many, however, considered No. 11 to be a finished player.
His 12 points, including 8 goals in 21 games, combined with his involvement in play, make him one of the most consistent players on the team.
An unfair decision by Martin St-Louis toward Brendan Gallagher
Despite this, the veteran seems to be overlooked by the coaches, as he still hasn’t been given a spot on the first power-play unit.
This situation recently sparked a reaction from Stéphane Gonzalez during a recent edition of his show with Georges Laraque on BPM Sports.
«I think about Gallagher, who after 20 games has 8 goals and 4 assists for 12 points.
After Cole Caufield, he’s the top goal scorer for the Montreal Canadiens, and he’s also their best scorer on the power play.
Gallagher and the so-called second unit, he has three power-play goals!
He’s watching Dach and Newhook, who stayed on the top unit the entire time, and he’s thinking, I never got my chance!
When we’re looking for a spark, some energy, a little something.»
– Stéphane Gonzalez
Looking closely at the stats, Dach has had plenty of opportunities to prove himself on the power play.
No. 77 has played 75 minutes and 35 seconds on the power play this season compared to 39 minutes and 23 seconds for the veteran, who also has 3 power-play goals (0 for Dach).
When analyzing Tuesday night’s game against Utah, the difference is clear. According to the NHL website, Dach played 3 minutes and 16 seconds on the power play.
On the other hand, Gallagher was on the power play for 2 minutes and 26 seconds-almost a full minute less.
So even though he’s been demoted to the fourth line, Dach hasn’t truly been punished.
The same goes for Juraj Slafkovsky, who played 3 minutes and 13 seconds on the power play.
Some are wondering, where’s the hard coaching here?
