Thanks in large part to an abysmal second period, the Montreal Canadiens experienced an ugly Saturday night loss on home ice. Losing 6-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights, the five goals they surrendered in that second period spelled the end for them even with plenty of time left on the clock. Though they did come out with a much better third period, it was far too little, far too late.
But perhaps one silver lining for the Habs was Emil Heineman, who has quietly been proving himself a very capable addition to their bottom-six.
Heineman’s shot is known as his best quality, and this isn’t the first time he’s flashed it this season. It is without a doubt an NHL-level weapon, and if he can continue to find ways to use it, it will go a long way to keeping him in the NHL lineup. He is now on pace for close to 20 goals over an 82-game season, which would be incredibly valuable production from a fourth liner.
More than just his shot, his physicality and hustle on the forecheck have been commendable. He’s playing very competent bottom-six style hockey for this team, and that will be important given that Patrik Laine is soon to return to the lineup. Heineman is fighting for his spot on the roster now and moving forward, and it would be hard to argue that he hasn’t done enough to earn it.
This team is going to need competent bottom-six players when they get to the other side of the rebuild, and Heineman is showing them he has the chops to be precisely that.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll be back on Tuesday night when the Habs will host the Utah Hockey Club for the first time ever at the Bell Centre.
