Fourth line rocks while Pacioretty struggles to score again

Carr, Froese, and Deslauriers finding success in NHL

Daniel Carr is the Canadiens’ leading scorer on a pointper-game basis, but he says he’s happy playing on the fourth line.

“I like the guys I’m playing with and I think we play well together,” said Carr, who is on a line with Byron Froese and Nicolas Deslauriers.

The trio played together with the AHL’s Laval Rocket and the line has been enjoying some success at the NHL level.

Deslauriers scored two goals, while Carr had a power-play goal and added an assist Tuesday night as the Canadiens defeated the Vancouver Canucks 7-5 in a wild freefor-all at Rogers Arena.

“The most important thing for our line is to play hard every shift,” Carr said Wednesday after a highenergy, 35-minute practice at UBC’s Thunderbird Arena before flying to Calgary, where the Canadiens will meet the Flames Friday night (9 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio). “When we turn the puck over, we’re all going back on defence. The coach has rewarded us with more ice time because we play the right way.”

The fourth line had more ice time than Phillip Danault and Alex Galchenyuk, who were playing on one of the top lines. Danault and Galchenyuk each scored a goal in Vancouver, but Julien wasn’t pleased with their overall play.

“I wasn’t happy with their start,” Julien said. “They overextended their shifts.”

That’s why, even with some power play time, Danault was on the ice for 12:16, while Galchenyuk clocked 12:35. They were far behind Max Pacioretty (19:20) and Jonathan Drouin (17:51), who were reunited despite failing to find any chemistry earlier in the season. Pacioretty had a couple of assists and Drouin had one helper but, on a night when Anders Nilsson proved vulnerable, Pacioretty once again failed to score.

By Julien’s count, four of Pacioretty’s shots on goal represented scoring chances. He had the misfortune of being on the wrong end of a highlight-reel stop by Nilsson early in the game. The goaltender did the splits to stop a low drive from Pacioretty and the shot hit him on the wrist.

Pacioretty, who has scored at least 30 goals in each of the past four seasons, has eight. He is known for his streaky play, but this drought is a source of frustration. His shooting percentage for the season is 5.8 and only three Montreal forwards have been less successful. His numbers have been even worse during the past month.

The Canadiens’ holiday road trip continues Friday in Calgary and Saturday in Edmonton. Both teams figure to provide a tougher test than the Canucks and that’s why Julien emphasized battles around the net during the short but intense workout Wednesday. This is an area where the Canadiens proved vulnerable against the Canucks. Four Vancouver goals were scored from close range.