It’s no surprise, Brendan Gallagher has always been hated by his opponents.
We know his passion and his intensity, but for 2-3 years, it seems more difficult for number 11 of the Montreal Canadiens.
The injuries suffered in his career, due to his style of play, slowed him down a lot.
On the other hand, Gallagher is having a very good start to the 2024-25 season so far and one point of his game stands out more.
His presence in front of the net was very useful in the first five games, especially during the game against the Boston Bruins on October 10.
Interestingly, Gally is first in the NHL in shots on goal from the slot with 14 in five games.
Brendan Gallagher leads all NHL players in Slot Shots this season with 14.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/bajEYFjokP
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) October 18, 2024
We know that Gallagher is much more useful to his team when he sticks his nose in traffic, disrupts his opponents and hides in front of the net hoping to get a rebound.
His two goals of the season were scored on October 10, including one on the power play.
And where was it placed to mark them? In front of the goal.
And that’s exactly what we want from Gallagher.
He’s there to play hard, going where no one wants to go, and it’s paying off so far.
We all know that 30-goal seasons Gally have passed and that he will never have as big an impact as Zach Hyman in the slot.
I think we can all say that no one expected Hyman to score 54 goals last year, but that’s what it feels like to be in the pay zone.
It’s not the paid zone for nothing, you know?
To have a competitive club, you obviously need talented players who are there to fill the net and create chances in abundance.
And then there are the shadow heroes, who constantly eat blows to the back and face to recover throw returns and win battles along the ramps.
Gallagher will always be one of those guys, even if he’s a lot less productive than in his prime.
In burst
– A quick reminder of the Laval Rocket lineup for the first home game. ABB will play his first match with Laval.
Formation of the Laval Rocket against the Syracuse Crunch:
Barré-Boulet – Gignac – Roy
Simoneau – Conduct – Dauphin
Davidson–Beck–Mesar
Arseneau – Xhekaj – TuchEngstrom – Trudeau
Wotherspoon – Lindstrom
Hayes – JacobsBeds
Hughes— Anthony Marcotte (@anthonymarcotte) October 18, 2024
– Not to be missed tonight, Jacob Fowler’s third game of the season.
Jacob Fowler plays hockey tonight.
BC takes on AIC at 7:00pm ET. pic.twitter.com/iuqW6tJEG6
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 18, 2024
– Good listening.
Zone Exit, Season 6 | Episode 9: Should we reshuffle the Canadian’s trios?
— La Presse Sports (@LaPresse_Sports) October 18, 2024
– Really, what is CH’s defensive system?
“Their reactions, which were perplexed to say the least, told me a lot…” – @JiCLajoie
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) October 18, 2024
