Canadiens’ Three Stars of the Week: Monday, April 4 – Sunday, April 10
by Jocelyne LeBlanc, Staff Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine
MONCTON, N.B. –- With the 2015-’16 season officially finished for the Montreal Canadiens, they still managed to finish on a high note, taking two of their three games this past week. They finished the season on a two-game winning streak and racked up an impressive nine goals in that pair of games.
Here are my choices for the top three stars of this final week of the 2015-’16 regular season:
First Star: Max Pacioretty
The captain did it again! For the third consecutive season, and the fourth time in his career, he hit the 30-goal plateau. And for the first time in his career, he played in all 82 regular season games. He racked up a total of six points this past week and finished the season on a four-game point streak. He also finished the season ranked first on the team in points (64), game-winning goals (6), shots on goal (303), and is tied for first place (along with Alex Galchenyuk) with 30 goals.
Second Star: Alex Galchenyuk
Three points in the final game isn’t a bad way to finish the season for Galchenyuk, especially since two of those points put him at the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career. This has been by far the best season for him, surpassing his own personal bests in nearly every statistical category. He finished the season tied for first among his teammates (along with Max Pacioretty) with 30 goals, including a team-leading nine which were scored on the power play. He ranked second in points (56), shots on goal (201), and tied for second (along with David Desharnais) with four game-winning goals. He is also one of only four players to have played in all 82 regular season games with the Canadiens, along with Max Pacioretty, Andrei Markov, and Tomas Plekanec.
Third Star: Brendan Gallagher
He finished the season on a four-game point streak. For only playing 53 games this season, he still managed to record 40 points and ranked first on the team with a plus-13 rating. He also tallied seven power play goals, ranking him third among his teammates.
Honorable Mention: Charlie Lindgren
After signing a two-year contract with the Canadiens on March 30th, this goalie made his NHL debut on April 7th against the Carolina Hurricanes and took home the win. He stopped 26 of the 28 shots he faced.
Point Producers of the Week:
Max Pacioretty – 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists)
Alex Galchenyuk – 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist)
Brendan Gallagher – 4 points (all assists)
Tomas Plekanec – 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists)
Andrei Markov – 3 points (all assists)
Darren Dietz – 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist)
Lars Eller – 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist)
Daniel Carr – 1 point (goal)
Alexei Emelin – 1 point (assist)
