Montreal Canadiens

Julien changes it up as Habs hope to avoid elimination in game 6
April 22, 2017, 2:14 PM ET [6 Comments]
Jennifer B Cutler
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With their season literally on the line, the Montreal Canadiens will need to dig deep as they attempt to win game six tonight vs. the New York Rangers in order to send the series back to Montreal for game seven at the Bell Centre. Having lost two games in a row to the Rangers, the Canadiens badly need to regain momentum and play a consistent 60 minutes of hockey. For head coach Claude Julien, that means making changes to the lineup in hopes of finding a spark that will aid the team.

Unfortunately though, Julien’s changes for game six do not exactly inspire much confidence. Tonight’s lines will be:

Pacioretty-Danault-Radulov
Lehkonen-Plekanec-Gallagher
Galchenyuk-Flynn-Byron
King-Ott-McCarron

Markov-Weber
Emelin-Petry
Davidson-Benn

Price

Thoughts on the changes:

1)Andrew Shaw has suffered an upper body injury and will miss game six for the Canadiens. That is a big loss for the team as Shaw’s previous playoff experience with the Chicago Blackhawks surely could have come in handy as the Canadiens face elimination. He has the ability to score a big goal and is strong at both ends of the ice. His presence will surely be missed.

2) Brian Flynn will dress in Shaw’s place, centering Alex Galchenyuk and Paul Byron on the third line. If Flynn has not been good enough to get into games one through five, one has to wonder what makes Julien think that inserting him in for game six with Galchenyuk on the wing is a good idea? Flynn has played little hockey over the past two months. Is he up to the task of playing 13-15 minutes on the road in a pressure packed situation?

3) Galchenyuk has been moved back to left wing after doing little at center in games four and five. However, the Canadiens need him to produce in order to be truly be successful. Give him the opportunity to center the first line and pump him up to rise to the occasion. Is Galchenyuk really going to break out playing with Flynn and Byron?

4) Torrey Mitchell will be a healthy scratch for the third time this series. Nevermind that he has more goals (one) than Galchenyuk and Max Pacioretty combined. Nevermind that his speed has been useful on the fourth line and has been called upon to defend leads. With Shaw out of the lineup, Mitchell should have stayed in rather than be replaced by Flynn.

5) Michael McCarron will make his NHL playoff debut in an elimination game. I actually do not mind the move. He should have plenty of energy and jump to his game but cannot be a spectator and be blown by the Rangers speed. He can help cycle the puck down low and will get physical with the defensemen.

6) Dwight King should be watching from the press box tonight in lieu of Mitchell. Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin acquired him due to his 2014 Stanley Cup experience with the Los Angeles Kings. However, we are still waiting to see that version of King. He has not demonstrated enough on the ice to keep his spot in the lineup.

7) Very pleased to see that Artturi Lehkonen, Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher will form the new number two line. The trio have excelled together as the second (?) powerplay unit. Between Gallagher and Lehkonen they should be a very frustrating line to play against. The Canadiens desperately need offense and this line on the powerplay has been one of the few bright spots. Would not be surprised if they are the Canadiens best line tonight.

8) Nathan Beaulieu will be a healthy scratch as Brandon Davidson will replace him in the lineup. Beaulieu has been inconsistent on the ice as he continues to make questionable decisions. However, sometimes one must take the bad with the good. When Beaulieu is able to put it all together, he has the potential to positively make a difference and control the game. I would have liked to see him with Jordie Benn on the third pairing as the duo worked quite well together when Benn first arrived in Montreal. Many feel that game five was Beaulieu's last in a Canadiens uniform. If the Canadiens manage to comeback and win the series, they will very likely need Beaulieu in the next round. How much confidence do you have in Davidson or Nikita Nesterov?

9) Benn himself is being demoted back to the third pairing while Alexei Emelin is reunited with Jeff Petry on the second unit. Benn has played well for the most part but his errors have led to a couple of back breaking goals. The third unit and top penalty kill minutes are likely the best spot for him but is Emelin really ready for top four minutes again? His game five performance was shaky but he did improve as the game went on. Julien is likely thinking about the Emelin that always stepped up when playing his former Boston Bruins.

10) It is hard to see this new lineup making all of the difference and the Canadiens able to even the series against the Rangers tonight. However, stranger things have certainly happened. Like the Nashville Predators sweeping the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round. For the Canadiens to force a game seven, Carey Price will have to be at his absolute best and likely steal the show.

Note: The puck drops at 8pm EST as NBC is broadcasting the game nationally.