Max Pacioretty has been with the Canadiens since 2008 and seen plenty of games, but none of them top Monday’s big 4-0 win over Boston in Game 6 of their second-round series.
“It was definitely the first time in this series that we controlled the pace of the game,” Pacioretty said, per the Montreal Gazette. “That’s the best I’ve seen this team play — ever — since I started wearing this uniform.
“When you use our speed it’s so frustrating for a team to play against us.”
The Habs certainly looked the faster team in Game 6, and Pacioretty had plenty to do with that. The NHL’s fourth-leading goalscorer this year -- with 39 -- Pacioretty failed to find the back of the net once in the first five games of the series and had come under fire for his lack of production, especially since he was a virtual non-factor in last year’s opening-round loss to Ottawa and had just two points in this year’s Round 1 sweep of Tampa Bay.
Tonight, though, “Patch” broke through.
The most telling example of his improved play -- and Montreal’s speed, too -- came on his goal, when he outraced Zdeno Chara for a loose puck:
Following the game, Pacioretty decided to have a little fun at the media’s expense. He, along with teammate P.K. Subban, sounded both excited and supremely confident heading into Wednesday’s Game 7 in Boston, and Pacioretty opted to express that to reporters.
“I read every article written about me and it taught me how to score,” Pacioretty said. “That was the difference tonight.”