Familiar Lines Back Together At Habs Practice

Over the past few months, Slafkovsky had been used as a play driver on the Habs’ 2nd line, which unlocked a new level of play within him, but it was clear that Suzuki and Caufield missed his presence at 5-on-5, as there wasn’t anyone that could create as much room for the skilled duo to do their thing the way that the big Slovak forward could for them. Sure, Kirby Dach had a few moments where he could be a solid option on their line as of late, but it comes with too much inconsistency. With that being said, this is going to be a very welcomed reunion between Slafkovsky and his long-time linemates. When that top line played together, they were one of the best 5-on-5 lines in hockey over the past few years.

The line switch for Slafkovsky comes at a good time, as for the first time since he was placed on a different line, he is coming off three consecutive disappointing performances and needs a change to get going again. Slafkovsky will find his game again; there is no denying that, but it may be best that he doesn’t need to be a line driver right now as he gets over his Olympic hangover.

One positive that now comes from the fact that he’s shown he can be a line driver since December is that he may start defaulting less to Suzuki and Caufield to carry the puck, which means he could be the puck carrier for this line more often than in the past. With a newly transformed Slafkovsky, this line has a chance to be even more dominant than the 59.4% expected goal share that they had when playing together early in the season . Watch this line closely on Friday night, as they could do serious damage against the Anaheim Ducks.

Now that Newhook is back from injury, the Habs are able to go back to what was likely their most complete top 6 group, as when Demidov and Kapanen played with Newhook, the chemistry seemed so flawless. Unlike the Slafkovsky-Suzuki-Caufield line, this line doesn’t have a long history of playing together, which could make it more intriguing to see if it still can work the same.

Despite missing 40 games due to an ankle injury, Newhook has come back from the Olympic break looking just as speedy as he ever has, which is something that made him so good in the first place alongside Kapanen and Demidov through the team’s first 17 games. What works so well about this line is that Newhook is the speedster, Kapanen is the cerebral shooter that can always get himself in the right spots for good scoring chances, and Demidov is the dynamic playmaker that can pull off amazing passes to set up high-danger scoring chances. They really complement each other well as they bring different aspects to the line.

So far this season, Newhook has 8 goals and 16 points in 20 games, which include 2 goals and 4 points in the last 3 matchups since returning from injury. Newhook has clearly figured out how to also hone his offensive skills alongside his blazing speed. One factor is that he has not been tasked with playing as much centre, so he can play his game more freely. Not only are the Habs looking to see if the old chemistry can be found again, but the team is now officially using their top 6 forwards in terms of points per game, which is the way it should be. Whether this brings similar success to how it did in the early part of the year remains to be seen, but the Habs are certainly putting together something that looks promising in the top 6.

As for the 3rd line, it now has Jake Evans pivoting Zack Bolduc and Kirby Dach, which is a unit that can be very heavy on the forecheck and surprise opponents by chipping in their own fair share of offence. Meanwhile, the line of Brendan Gallagher, Phillip Danault, and Josh Anderson remains untouched as they will serve as the team’s veteran energy line.

What are your thoughts on the new forward lines at practice?