'Playing Good Hockey,' Gallagher Contributes a Classic Goal

Ever since Marc Bergevin signed him to a six-year contract extension that carries an annual cap hit of $6.5 million, Brendan Gallagher's performance has been under scrutiny. 

At the end of the deal, the forward will be 34 years old and he will have a lot of miles on his body given the type of physical hockey he plays. In the last four seasons, Gallagher has dressed for 59, 35, 56, and 37 games respectively. He has missed significant time due to multiple injuries. 

Since reaching the 30-goal plateau back-to-back seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19, his production has progressively dipped. Last season, he scored eight goals and 14 points in 37 contests. 

Even though it is highly unlikely that Gallagher will score anywhere near 30 goals again in the National Hockey League, there's no doubt that he will give 100 percent on every shift. 

There was evidence of this on Saturday, when the Alberta native scored his first of the season by crashing the net. It's the way that Gallagher would score when he was producing on a regular basis.  

"Nice to avoid the cross bar, nice to avoid the goalie and thankfully the puck went in," Gallagher chuckled about the goal after Saturday's 3-2 win against the Washington Capitals. "It's nice to contribute. I feel good this year, I feel like I'm playing good hockey, whether they go in or not, it's just a matter of keep it going."

His teammates were not surprised to see Gallagher end up inside the net as he netted his first. "I told him 'way to crash the net'. I don't think that's the first time he's scored like that, that's for sure," reacted Mike Matheson.  

"That's vintage Gally. For all his years, that's where he makes his money! I'm happy for him to get on the scoresheet that way, and the right way," Jake Allen praised the veteran. 

Gallagher's work ethic is a good example for the younger players in the organization. "If he's going to score, it's going to be around the net and obviously you're just pumped up to see a guy like that get rewarded for all the work he does," Cole Caufield reflected. 

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