Last night’s game against the Ottawa Senators showed us just how good Jonathan Drouin can be. He was engaged, he was drawing penalties, he looked confident, and he was making plays.
Last night’s game showed the player that Marc Bergevin thought he was trading for. Last night’s game showed why it’s so frustrating when we don’t see that player.
Drouin had a goal and two primary assists in Tuesday night’s 5-2 win over the Ottawa Senators at the Bell Centre, and he was one of the best players on the ice.
He also made one of the more clever little plays on Max Domi’s second goal.
Watch the subtle look of the eyes of Drouin spotting Byron on the back door, and the even more subtle drop of the shoulder to sell the pass before slipping pass to Domi. Love the master class in subterfuge. Awesome mind skills to create a little confusion. https://t.co/rJcOJPMGCn
— Mike Johnson (@mike_p_johnson) December 5, 2018
Tuesday’s game extended a modest three-game point streak for Drouin. He also has points in 11 of his last 15 games. It also extended a streak that may go to show just how good his line with Domi and Paul Byron or Andrew Shaw has been going.
While that line has been putting up points all year, they have often been on the bad end of the possession battle. Drouin and Domi are among the worst forwards in that category for the Canadiens this season.
However, the last five games, Drouin has been over 50% in five on five shot attempts which is his longest such stretch of the season. The only game they were really dominant in was the loss to the San Jose Sharks, but considering Drouin’s line is the likely focus of the other team’s better players, anything over 50% is quite good.
Last year, Drouin was unremarkable. But that’s not a knock on him. He was learning a new position, and was having an up and down season in a year most players on the team were simply going through the motions. All the while trying to find chemistry with his teammates.
This year, Drouin is back to where he is best, he’s playing like a top line player, and he has had remarkable chemistry with Domi. And it’s a big reason the Canadiens are competitive this season.
