Since arriving in Montreal, and more specifically over the past two seasons, Phillip Danault has established himself as Claude Julien’s right-hand man at both ends of the ice. He is not a regular on the power play, with only 8 points in 2 seasons, but he still ranks 3rd over the same period with 100 points in 152 games.
He has led the club’s attackers in total time played since 2018-2019 and leads all Habs players in playing time short of a man, even ahead of Shea Weber.
His trio start the vast majority of the Canadiens’ games and face the opposing best trio night after night. Despite the tough competition, Danault maintains a +35 record over the past two seasons, good for No. 25 in the NHL. His ability to slow down the big guns in the league will be put to the test when the NHL returns to the game, with a duel against Sidney Crosby awaiting him in the first round.
Crosby has missed two of three clashes against CH this season. He was on the roster in the last game between the two clubs in February, where he scored three points, all assists. However, none of them took place with Danault on the ice. In fact, Montreal had a 4-1 penalty shootout advantage in 6:21 when they split the ice evenly, with no goals conceded to either side.
Obviously, a single match is not a sufficient sample to draw conclusions. Going back to include their three clashes in 2018-2019, Danault did a great job against one of the best players of our generation.
While neutralizing Crosby is essentially an impossible task, Danault at least managed to slow down the former Rimouski Oceanic. The Penguins have the advantage 3-2 in goals, but in terms of shots and scoring chances, CH is practically on a par with Pittsburgh when Danault is present, even having a slight advantage on their side. Two of the goals came in the same game in March 2019, leaving CH with a 2-1 advantage in the other three games.
Again, it’s hard to draw conclusions with just four games as a sample. So I decided to expand my research to see how Danault performed against other elite players. I compiled his performance in 2019-2020 against the best centers in the Eastern Association, to include the players he faces more than once or twice a year.
I selected 13 of the best centers of the association for this exercise: Patrice Bergeron, Jack Eichel, Sebastian Aho, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Alex Barkov, Mathew Barzal, Mika Zibanejad, Claude Giroux, Crosby, Steven Stamkos, Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and Nicklas Backstrom.
These 13 stars have combined for 354 goals and 806 points in 819 games this season. Danault faced these players for a total time of almost 200 minutes evenly. The goals scored are even, with 13 on each side, but in terms of shots and quality chances, the advantage is undoubtedly in the camp of CH.
Against the creme de la creme at the center position in the East, Danault has consistently shown that he is capable of answering the call. Montreal has the advantage in volume, with almost 100 additional shots attempted, and in quality, with 11 more shots from the pocket.
Having a trusted player who can match or even surpass the production of the opposing top line is an invaluable asset to any coach. Danault has proven this season that he can fill this role brilliantly. His duel with Crosby will be one of the most important things to watch in this first round series.
Pittsburgh remains the favorite to win the 3 of 5, but if Danault is able to limit Sid the Kid, the CH greatly increases their chances of surprising the Penguins and advancing to the second round. Whatever happens, this one-on-one will be a fascinating duel to watch.
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