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Montreal's Kirby Dach: A Promising Turning Point for the Team
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- Montreal's Kirby Dach: A Promising Turning Point for the Team
Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
It's been a long and tumultuous few seasons for Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach.
After suffering three consecutive season-ending injuries, the 24-year-old forward had watched more games from the press box (129) than he'd played (112) since joining the organization.
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Few situations are more frustrating for a professional athlete, especially since the injuries took place during what was supposed to be Dach's evolution into a forward who can drive the offence on a nightly basis. To make matters more complicated, Dach struggled to produce decent underlying numbers upon recovering from his injuries, casting doubt on his long-term potential.
However, it seems that things are finally turning around, an encouraging situation for all involved. The Canadiens have essentially relied on the Nick Suzuki 's line to drive the offence sustainably, as they're the only combination that has managed to tread water when it comes to their share of high-danger scoring chances and shots.
But now that Dach is playing on a line with Zachary Bolduc and Brendan Gallagher, the tide seems to be turning in respect to his underlying numbers.
Kirby Dach Statistics
Even though Alex Newhook and Oliver Kapanen scored on Saturday verus the Utah Mammoth, it's important to note that head coach Martin St-Louis did not feel comfortable using them when the game was on the line.
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They may be listed as Montreal's second line, but the 5v5 ice time tells a different story.
Dach's line was given over 11 minutes of ice time, whereas Ivan Demidov 's line finished with the least shifts.
There's a perfectly logical reason for St-Louis' hesitancy to use the Newhook, Kapanen, and Demidov line more often. They can score goals, but on most nights, they're a defensive liability.
Dach's line, on the other hand, has quickly shored up its underlying numbers, to the point that St-Louis feels comfortable using them almost as much as the first line.
Dach, Bolduc, and Gallagher have managed to control over 55% of the shots, as well as almost 62% of the expected goals. This is on top of the fact that they've scored eight goals, while allowing their opponents to score just 3.
Simply put, they're controlling the play, and the results have quickly caught up to the solid process. They're unlikely to keep outscoring their opponents by a 2:1 margin, but the numbers suggest that Montreal may now have a second line that can control the play, a significant boon when we consider they've been a one-line team for a few years now.
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It's a limited sample size, they've only played 70 minutes together at 5v5, but it's a great start, while also being the first sign that Dach may have tapped-into the excellence that drove his fantastic numbers in his first year with the Canadiens.
All Kirby Dach and Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Hat Trick .
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