Brendan Gallagher hasn’t been playing much since his return; it’s been tough for him

Jonathan Di Gregorio
Brendan Gallagher hasn’t been playing much since his return; it’s been tough for him
Credit: David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Brendan Gallagher, who had watched the first four playoff games from the bench, made a spectacular return to the lineup, as the veteran scored on his very first shift, setting the tone for Game 5 against Tampa.

However, after beating Andrei Vasilevski on his first shot on goal—his only one in two games—he didn't do much on the ice afterward, particularly in helping the Habs generate offense.

In fact, Gallagher played only 6:21 minutes in his first game and 5:39 minutes last night.

That's a total of 12:27 minutes over two games, barely more than his average ice time this season, when he averaged 12:21 minutes per game.

Despite his limited ice time, the Edmonton native still delivered five hits, but none of them really made an impact in the last two games.

On the other hand, one might wonder: if he's going to play so little, why put him in the lineup?

A player like Oliver Kapanen, who could have scored the game-winning goal yesterday, or Joe Veleno, who was playing solid physical hockey at the end of the season, could provide the team with more ice time.

Furthermore, by limiting Gallagher's playing time, other forwards are overworked, which isn't ideal in a long, tight series like the one the Habs are currently in.

This is even more true in the case of a Game 7 like tomorrow's.

If the energy player can't play as many minutes as before, it would undoubtedly be a good idea to continue managing his usage by having him play every other game or every third game.

We saw the effect of his rest in Game 5, when Gallagher started the game strong but was more subdued in yesterday's game.

On the other hand, if Martin St-Louis is limiting his ice time because he lacks confidence, the Habs would likely be better off replacing him in the lineup with a player the coach isn't afraid to use in different scenarios.

And I get the feeling that Joe Veleno might just be that player.


In brief

– CFM loss.

– The Roses win big!

– The Canes open the scoring.

– Jackson Blake makes it 2-0.

– Logan Stankoven scores his sixth.

– The 76ers complete their comeback.

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