While the Montreal Canadiens have stolen the NHL spotlight thanks to what seems like an endless stream of goals from newcomer Patrik Laine on the powerplay, there are some very interesting results taking place at 5v5.
Laine’s powerplay hat trick is a great story, and not only because he took all the right steps to return to play after facing a lot of adversity, though he is setting a great example for the many young fans who may also be dealing with a difficult situation.
We knew he would make an immediate impact on the powerplay, whereas his play at 5v5 was likely to take a little more time before we could suggest he’s in top shape.
The Process For The Montreal Canadiens
You may have noticed Laine was not overly excited following the 11th hat trick of his career. We have to be careful when it comes to assuming someone’s state of mind based on limited interactions while cameras are rolling, especially since we know Laine has dealt with a lot in the past. His current situation is much healthier, but even good changes take time to process.
With that in mind, there was some truth to his comments.
It was indeed an average game from a 5v5 standpoint, which, again, is to be expected given he almost missed an entire calendar year with various injuries. You may suggest this is a harsh self-assessment from the 26-year-old, but he’s a professional athlete after all, which means he has a better handle on his situation than most of us.
Lineup Modifications
Martin St-Louis quickly identified the second line, featuring Laine, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Kirby Dach was not working out. If we want to be a little more accurate, it was flat-out awful at 5v5. All three players were cold prior to the formation of the new trio, and there was a clear lack of speed in the mix. St-Louis gets full marks for trying, and we can never lose sight of the lack of options for the top six, but it was a fairly predictable result.
The good news is the combination did not last long.
Midway through the 9-2 drubbing by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, St-Louis decided to mix things up, returning Slafkovsky to the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, while speedster Alex Newhook took Slafkovsky’s spot on the second line.
We all know Slafkovsky found success on the top line last year, but the results shifted significantly at the start of the 2024-25 campaign, which is why the youngest player in the lineup ended up playing shifts on the second, third, and fourth lines.
Suffice it to say, Slafkovsky’s line-tour did not yield very encouraging results, leaving a redux on the top line as the only logical choice.
Once Slafkovsky was reunited with his former linemates, not only did the process line up with the (ideal) results, it also led to his first goal since November 27, and just his third of the season.
To get a better idea of how well Slafkovsky, Caufield, and Suzuki played in the last three games compared to their difficult start to the season, we have to dig a little to get a decent read on their underlying results.
While both editions of the top line controlled the majority of the goals during their shifts (GF%), there’s a stark difference in shot control (CF%), high-danger scoring chance control (HDCF%), and expected goal share (xGF%).
Another way of describing it would be to say the first stretch on the top line was on the cusp of becoming a disaster, whereas the second stretch has featured a complete reversal of fortunes, with Slafkovsky, Caufield, and Suzuki controlling all the important statistics at 5v5.
As per usual, there are a few caveats to consider.
The sample size is limited. For example, they’ve scored two goals while allowing the opposition to score just one, which is why they have a 66.7 percent control of the goals (GF%). It’s also unrealistic to expect a line to control over 70 percent of the shots going forward.
But it does seem like the early-season issues, which included Slafkovsky nursing a nagging injury, are in the past.
As for Laine, the Canadiens are still trying to find a 5v5 combination that works, because the initial results alongside Dach and Newhook are far from encouraging.
In the long run, Laine may have to play with a centre other than Dach. The combination of two players who missed significant time and are not as fleet-footed as they once were simply isn’t working.
That leads us to the reality of the situation. St-Louis’ options are quite limited.
Jake Evans played well during his short stint as the team’s No.2 centre, but with all due respect to the impending free agent, it’s not an ideal long-term solution. Christian Dvorak may no longer provide much offence, but he’s built a healthy amount of chemistry with Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson on the third line. It’s essentially the only line that has maintained some semblance of consistency, both in results and in the usage provided by the head coach.
Given the play of the top line and the lack of options throughout the lineup, a little more patience is in order when it comes to 5v5 results involving both Dach and Laine.
Fortunately, Laine’s incredible scoring pace on the powerplay should mitigate some of his concerns regarding his 5v5 play, but as he correctly suggested on Tuesday night, there’s still a lot of work to be done.