Habs Have Found A Great 3rd Line

Despite being great on the forecheck and creating scoring chances, this line is far from being perfect. For one, Bolduc, who is known for having a hard wrist shot, has been snakebitten for nearly the last 10 games after struggling to get anything going for the 15 games prior. Bolduc has not found the back of the net in his last 25 games, but the reality is that he has completely lost confidence in his shot, which essentially has two different stages to it. The first 15 games or so, he was struggling to get anything going and was basically unable to find chemistry with anyone on the ice. Then once he was placed with both Evans and Dach, things started to change, and he started to be able to make a difference in other ways than just his shot. Unfortunately during that time, although the scoring chances are coming for him, it has become evident that his shot is being taken with much less confidence.

Nonetheless, Bolduc is at least finally starting to pick up points on goals by his linemates. Eventually, if he continues to do the right things by being hard on the forecheck and finishing his checks, there is a good chance that he will start scoring goals again. Chances are he’ll score a goal that goes off him to finally take the monkey off his back. Also, knowing how Bolduc seems to score in bunches should unlock a couple more goals over his next few games.

The trio was essentially put together out of convenience given that there was nowhere else for any of those players to play in the lineup. Starting with Dach, he was placed on this line after the Canadiens decided to put Juraj Slafkovsky back up on the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield to get him back on his game after a few tough games coming out of the Olympics. Meanwhile, Alex Newhook, who started the break looking really good after missing 40 games due to a fractured ankle, was placed back on the 2nd line with Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov, where he had success before his injury. This led to Dach without a proper place in the lineup, but there was a spot for him available on the 3rd line, which ended up being perfect for him to play his strong forechecking game where he can use his 6’4″ frame well without having to worry about playing centre, as Evans is one of the best faceoff guys on the team.

For Bolduc, as mentioned earlier, he couldn’t find chemistry with anyone besides Dach, which is why it made sense to put them together, and it seems like he’s developed chemistry with Evans in the process as well. It has allowed him to rediscover his game and become a solid checking forward that doesn’t need to score to be successful.

Evans just happened not to have consistent linemates as a bottom-six centre, but at the same time, he is a good fit with the majority of players he has played with. Unfortunately, those players had better chemistry with other guys most of the time, like Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher with Phillip Danault. Therefore, it left Evans to play pivot between Dach and Bolduc, who were seen as two players who needed to find their way on the roster. Ironically, despite having the least offensive touch of the trio, it has been Evans who has scored the most since being put together.

Time will tell if their success as an energy line can continue, but it is great to see that the Habs now have a bottom-6 line that can consistently put out a good presence. If they continue the way they are currently, more goals should come as rewards for their hard forechecking. In fact, on numerous occasions, they have been the line to get the Habs going when they are struggling most.

What are your thoughts on the Habs’ newly formed 3rd line?