Wednesday night was one of those games where a loss was perhaps more valuable to the Montreal Canadiens than a win. Playing a Buffalo Sabres team that was dead even with the Habs in the lottery race going into the game, they could inch closer to a likely top-five pick by conceding the two points up for grabs. They did that, but it certainly wasn’t intentional on their part, as they put forth a very solid effort that probably earns them two points more often than not.
And as an extremely welcome silver lining, Joshua Roy had perhaps the best game of his young NHL career.
It was apparent early in the first period that he wanted to leave his mark on the game, and do so with relentless forechecking. For those familiar with his development as a member of the Sherbrooke Phoenix, this will come as no surprise. Roy has always been known for his shot, but a crucial aspect of his rapid improvement in junior was his forechecking. His physicality and stick work in board battles always gave him chances to send pucks into dangerous areas, precisely how he facilitated Arber Xhekaj’s score opener against Buffalo.
And he continued to tilt the ice in his team’s favour well beyond the first period. In just under 10 minutes of five-on-five ice time, the Habs held a 7-1 scoring chance advantage, 4-0 for high-danger chances, and an expected-goals for of 97.81%. He obviously made an impression on the coaching staff with that game, as he was selected to be the extra attacker in their failed bid to tie the game up in the dying minutes.
A game like that will go a long way in winning over your coaches, and should go a long way to proving his top-six abilities to the fan base. The team has struggled mightily to find a line on which Josh Anderson actually works, and he too had one of his more useful games playing with Roy and Alex Newhook. He’s elevating his linemates, something that true top-six talents are able to do. If he can keep doing this for the remainder of his time with the team this season, he should have an inside track on a permanent spot there next year.
He will certainly be papered down to the Laval Rocket at the trade deadline, maintaining his ability to help Laval with their hopeful playoff run. Until that happens, this is the best audition he can hope for to be on the top two lines of the Montreal Canadiens.
So far, he’s doing everything he can to prove he belongs there.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. Quick turnaround this time, as we’ll be back after tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
