Earlier today the Canadiens announced Alex Galchenyuk and Andrew Shaw will play on Saturday night versus the Rangers, seeing as both players had recovered from their respective injuries.
The return means a new lineup, and here’s what Michel Therrien has on the board for the match up against New York:
Les trios du #CH:
Pacioretty-Galchenyuk-Radulov;
Byron-Danault-Shaw;
Lehkonen-Plekanec-Andrighetto;
Flynn-Mitchell-McCarron.— Chantal Machabee (@ChantalMachabee) January 14, 2017
Galchenyuk returns to his role as the number one centre, between Max Pacioretty and Alex Radulov. Andrew Shaw was slotted onto a line alongside Phillip Danault and Paul Byron. As for the defensive pairings, there’s not much movement.
Défenseurs #CH:
Emelin-Weber;
Beaulieu-Petry;
Barberio-Redmond.— Chantal Machabee (@ChantalMachabee) January 14, 2017
While Shaw should provide a solid addition to the top six, all eyes will be on Galchenyuk, who was top five in NHL scoring before he succumbed to the knee injury. With Galchenyuk in the roster the Canadiens owned a 17-6-2 record, whereas without him they went 9-5-4. Although it’s worth noting that Montreal’s overall control of the shot attempts actually went up during Galchenyuk’s absence, even if there was a notable lack of firepower among the forwards.
