The Canadiens drafted Alex Galchenyuk to be the big, skilled center they’d been lacking for years.
Most of his first three NHL seasons were spent at left wing, but over the summer the Canadiens decided it was time to put him down the middle.
The transition to center wasn’t always smooth. Galchenyuk struggled to find the back of the net, and his line, which is supposed to be Montreal’s second line, didn’t generate a ton of offense.
But something’s clicked for Galchenyuk over the last week or so.
The 21-year-old has arguably been the Canadiens’ best forward over the last three games and that’s coincided with the arrival of Sven Andrighetto.
The two youngsters were up to their old tricks, again, on Friday night as they led the charge in Montreal’s 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Devils.
Andrighetto got Montreal on the board late in the second period when he beat Cory Schneider with a wrister that cut the deficit to 2-1.
With the Canadiens down by one in the third period, head coach Michel Therrien decided to move Galchenyuk to right wing on a line with Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty.
And with under nine minutes remaining in the final frame, he stole the show:
Galchenyuk has scored in three straight games, while Andrighetto has found the back of the net in back-to-back contests.
Both players added goals in the shootout to complete the comeback over the Devils.
These two teams will face-off in Montreal on Saturday night.