Canadiens: The Fourth Line Needs To Step Up

If the Montreal Canadiens are in the playoff picture right now, it’s largely due to the balance they found in their lineup during the season. It took some time, but when Patrik Laine returned to play in December, Martin St-Louis put together four lines that complemented each other well.

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The fourth line, formed by Joel Armia, Jake Evans, and Emil Heineman, brought heavy forechecking and even contributed to the attack. Evans already has the most productive season of his career with 31 points and is one goal short of his career high of 13. Armia is still five points short of his 30-point career-best season but has tied his production from last year with 25 points. As for rookie Heineman, he has 18 points, including 10 goals, the 10th highest total by a rookie, and he’s one of 11 Canadiens players to have reached double digits in lamplighters this season.

However, since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off, the fourth line has been incredibly quiet. In 14 games, Evans only has three points, and Heineman one. Armia had to miss one game after sustaining what looked like a wrist injury and has played 13 games with a single point to show for it. Armia seems unable to unleash a shot of standard strength, and in the circumstances, it’s hard to score, but there’s nothing wrong with his passing.

While their lack of offensive contribution was eclipsed by the first line’s insane production when the team returned from the break, the top line has slowed down of late, with Cole Caufield only having one point in his last four games and three in his previous five games. Nick Suzuki has four points in his last five duels, and Juraj Slafkovsky has three points in the same span. While it’s not dramatic, it’s not the torrid pace they produced at a month ago.

If the Canadiens have been able to stay in the second wild card spot, it’s because the teams chasing them cannot win lately. Chances are, they will shake it off and start winning again. To qualify for the playoff, Montreal not only needs to get back to winning, but they also need to start scoring by committee again. Thursday night's game against the Philadelphia Flyers would be a good time to start, even if firing their coach might have fired up the players...

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