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Since the Habs are going to win this evening, I decided it would be a good idea for me to take over game thread duties for my first time ever. That way, I'll be able to make a few more after today. The Habs play their second straight game at home and hope to get some redemption after getting shutout in game 1. MONTREAL CANADIENS Max Pacioretty - Phillip Danault - Alexander Radulov Paul Byron - Tomas Plekanec - Brendan Gallagher Dwight King - Andrew Shaw - Artturi Lehkonen Alex Galchenyuk - Steve Ott - Andreas Martinsen Andrei Markov - Shea Weber Jordie Benn - Jeff Petry Nathan Beaulieu - Nikita Nesterov PRICE Montoya NEW YORK RANGERS Chris Kreider - Derek Stepan - Mats Zuccarello Jimmy Vesey - Mika Zibanejad - Rick Nash J.T. Miller - Kevin Hayes - Michael Grabner Tanner Glass - Oscar Lindberg - Jesper Fast Ryan McDonagh -Dan Girardi Marc Staal - Nick Holden Brady Skjei - Brendan Smith LUNDQVIST Raanta

Galchenyuk is what he is-a solid first line winger or 1A center that has some adventures in his own zone. I can see what the coaches see, in that during the time after his penalty when he got stuck on the PK, he was lost. They were still on a defacto 4v3. He bunched up to the other forward and the box looked like a rhombus. You have to take yes for an answer. If he gets you two goals, and costs you a half goal per, don't turn the guy into Chris Kelly.

I don't care that you don't care, but it is one reason he is being used a lot by Julien at centre for sure. If he was 42.7% as some other Hab centre is (0-2 in game 1) I think it plays into it as well.

Not a straight blues like Tin Pan Alley, but the Bobby Blue Bland version of "Who Will the Next Fool Be" works.

Radulov needs to allow his neck hair, chest hair, back hair, and facial hair all join together. Then we will win. He's a beauty.

Sing it, brother!

You'll get blasted only because you still think Duchene is a game changer. He put up Danault points this season.

Its a Russian-Belarussian thing that goes way back.

I think they discovered girls.

Beaulieu unfortunately is starting to look like he did at Hamilton. I always found him self centred in his AHL play and took way too many chances

I don't buy into giving him grunts so that he will shoot more. Do you seriously think any of them can set chucky up?? Even if he is on the zone, who are the rangers going to converge on, the guy who can actually do something with the puck, or useless washes out grunts that they couldn't do anything with the puck, even if they had it? If he wants chucky to shoot more, he should be playing with someone who can actually set him up. Thanks to the bang up job that MB has done improving the top 6, the only real option is lekonan. Throw in gally to go after rebounds and you actually have a dangerous line. julien pulled the same shot with kessel when no one else on the bruins could score

That's the thing. Forget passing - Galchenyuk needs to learn to be a lot more assertive with his shot. He has a very good one but is terrified to use it a lot of the time it seems (he went from 2.45 shots per game to 1.70 this season, a rate that was close to his rookie season). Where he is, the Habs are asking him to be the offensive threat which means he needs to be the trigger guy on that line with Ott/Martinsen doing the dirty work and freeing up space for him. To be honest, I think that's part of the reason he is where he is. When he's with Pacioretty and Radulov, he defers a lot to them and he's too talented a player to do so on a regular basis. That crutch isn't there on the fourth line - he needs to be more assertive because there aren't really other options to pass to. If he starts to get more aggressive looking for his offence, not only would that be a good thing (better he shoots than Ott/Martinsen) but it also may help him find some confidence and rhythm to his game. And when that happens, we've all seen what he can do. (I'm not sure the plan will work but it wouldn't surprise me if this is at least part of the logic in having him on the fourth line.)

would love to have heard that conversation...glad to hear it ended on a positive... Chucky: "Are you SURE i'm a fourth line winger?" CJ: "Positive"

Great insight, Brian. It seems a radical method to trying to get him to shoot more, but you may be on to something. i think we are going to have galchenyuk moved for a good grinding winger that MB seems to love so much. Machine, I couldn't have said it better myself. Habs29, the scenario you describe is the ultimate nightmare we're all worried about.

trying to find a positive...Maybe its a good thing we lost the first game? most on this board agree it's going to be a long series so, while it's a shame we lost the first game, we were going to lose a few anyway. This loss could work in our favor - a rude awaking perhaps (just saying). I find it oddly interesting that suddenly ppl on this board are saying AV is a better coach than CJ... why? because of a one goal loss? or is it because CJ has King playing on the 3rd line? King is playing because MB brought him in for his size AND playoff experience. Period. (it's not even CJ's decision). As for Galchenyuk...this kid has been a "petri dish" experiment for 4 years now...its not CJ that started this cluster#### - it was MT and MB. By now this young man should be at least a #2C on this team (a team that for 4+ years now has had no talent down the middle...why were players like DD and Eller ahead of him!?!) instead, #27 is struggling on a fourth line and somehow this is CJs fault??!? If we tried to look at Galchenyuk through the coach's lens (instead of a fans rose-coloured glasses), we will see a player who does more things wrong than right. Maybe just maybe, Chucky is not as coachable as we think he is? Maybe he doesn't listen to his coaches? Maybe he just "shows up" at practices and goes through the motions? Backchecking can be taught - but his backchecking is piss poor...why? taking face-offs can be taught - but he's not good in the face-off circle...why? Being responsible without the puck can be taught - but he looks lost out there when he doesn't have the puck...why? Fly- byes can be stopped - but he is the team's fly-by expert...why? oh yeah i forgot..he's 23 - well then, maybe its time this very young talent spends time on a 3rd or 4th line while he learns to play the game. Btw Arturi is 21 and is a more complete player BUT Arturi is not going through what Chucky has gone through. As far as i am concerned the Habs "player development" team have botched this player's progression. He has not only moved back and forth (C to W and back) BUT up and down (top line to 4th line)...a proverbial "yo-yo". when was the last time we saw something like this with such a high draft choice??

I'm happy to see someone out there have the courage to criticize Movie Max*. Marinaro tore a strip off of him. The attitude is almost like you aren't allowed to go there. (I get that he has a good deal. I also get that there are 60 odd millions left and fans are overly worried about cap constraints). I don't know why it's personal. The style of hockey in the playoffs or best on best in general doesn't suit his game. He got his bell rung by Girardi twice in the same shift and that was it. Goodnight, Vienna. He might as well shoot from the third row he was so far on the perimeter. We'll see what happens, but he was drafted ten years ago, and he probably is what he is at this point. *Plekanec has always sucked in the playoffs, too, but he's useless now anyways.

Why would you give up on him? Lots of good players have had slumps a lot worse than he has had. All I am saying is you cant compare Galchenyuk to a guy who will likely be in Hall of Fame. (28 yr old, 752pts in 740gms so far) I know you are being sarcastic, but if you are gonna be silly about it...

If Kane was drunk in public at a habs cup parade, or got in bar fights, or with cab drivers as a hab, he would have been traded within the week.

Chucks was rolling until he got hurt. He's been messed coming back from the injury - which by the looks of it he came back too early, as well as from confidence issues that can be rooted in the way dumb and dumber handled him, with their crap about "it's a process" and "learning to play the right way". Same crap as subban went through. they needed and even more so now, need to let him play his game. Concentrate on doing what he does well - score and generate offence. Once he starts producing and he's gotten his confidence back, ease him into refining the defensive side of his game. That's what rhey should have done when he first came up, but dumb and dumber fxcked up kicking the gift horse of coming in with a top 3 pick, by doing the best they can to ruin the kid. julien is a MORON for having him on the 4th line. I think there are only two other coaches I can think of, that would put chucky on the 4th line on a goal starved lineup, given the alternatives (le genius and mike milbury). Given the way he's been handled it's no wonder he is playing like crap. i think we are going to have galchenyuk moved for a good grinding winger that MB seems to love so much.