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“It’s sure that it will help him with these two wingers, two good defensive players,” said Julien. “Lehky has been playing great hockey since the start of the playoffs and we know what Paul brings. The change gave him some great wingers who complement him well.”
Danault was the workhorse for the Canadiens as he logged 22:38 of ice time, including some power-play time. Defencemen Shea Weber, Ben Chiarot and Jeff Petry were the only Montreal skaters with more ice time.
“Phil is so important to our team,” said Chiarot. “He generates offence and plays well defensively. He takes the big faceoffs against the best players in the world.”
In this series, that means Sidney Crosby and he has owned the Penguins superstar in the faceoff circle.
As the Canadiens were clinging to their 4-3 lead Wednesday, Danault won all three faceoffs against Crosby in the final three minutes of the game. He won 15 of 19 faceoffs in Game 3 and has won 29 of 46 in the series for a success rate of 63 per cent in the series.
Those faceoffs are important because if Crosby doesn’t win his draws, the Penguins are unable to work their offensive magic.
There were other key players in those dying minutes. Price made a save on Crosby and Ben Chiarot and Shea Weber never left the ice after Paul Byron took a penalty and left the Canadiens shorthanded with 3:32 to play. Chiarot actually spent the final 4:30 on the ice.
“It’s something I take seriously,” said Chiarot. “Being relied on to shut a game down is a big responsibility. I try to take pride in what I’m doing. … Obviously, with the amount of dangerous players they have, you have to be super aware of what’s going on around you. Desperation is the best word to describe it. You’re doing everything you have to do, laying your body on the line, to make sure you win.”
