Daily Hab-it: Changing of the Guard

When you look at the ice time allotment of this 3-1 Canadiens win over the Sharks, you'll see that technically, Lars Eller was centering the fourth line.

But the reality is very, very far from that perception.

The line of Eller, Mathieu Darche and Benoit Pouliot was literally the only one doing much of anything in the Sharks end through the first half of the game, with the puck finding itself far more often than not in the Canadiens end when any other line was on the ice.

Halfway through the game, Eller, Pouliot and Darche had accounted for every one of Montreal's shots on goal. All four of them.

And this was not the first time that line has been the Canadiens best. In fact, I would argue it's been for at least a week.

Pouliot's talent is shining through, Darche's work ethic facilitates everything for his more talented linemates, and Eller's confidence is simply skyrocketing.

"It's only going one way and that's up," Eller said after the game. "Hopefully I can continue that."

He's likely not the only one hoping that.

Gomez demoted to fourth line

Jacques Martin wouldn't admit it, but halfway through this game he also placed Scott Gomez with Tom Pyatt and Maxim Lapierre, moving Jeff Halpern between Mike Cammalleri and Travis Moen.

Gomez essentially became the fourth line centre, though his ice time doesn't reflect that.

"There wasn't a whole lot going on with our other three lines, so I sent Gomez in there with Pyatt and Lapierre and I think it created some energy," Martin explained. "I wanted to try and change the momentum of the game."

The momentum definitely did change around the time he made that move, I'm just not so sure that is necessarily the reason it changed.

On one of Gomez's first shifts between Pyatt and Lapierre, he swept back into his own zone to bring the puck up the ice, generated some great speed in the neutral zone, made a smart play to chip it behind the San Jose defence seeing as he had so much speed, then promptly lost a battle for the puck. Not only did he lose it, he was such a non-factor on the play that calling it a battle is a bit of a misnomer.

The play was just a blip in the game, but I think it showed that Gomez had gotten some sort of message by the line switch, he just didn't know how to manifest it on the ice. Or he simply couldn't.

But I also believe that this rotten start to the season, one that has Gomez on pace for the worst offensive numbers of his career, is getting to his head.

He keeps saying that the team is winning, and that's what's most important, but that he needs to pick it up. That's true, but what happens if the team starts losing a little bit, something that is a strong possibility on the upcoming holiday season road trip? What can he say then?

Would a role change work with Gomez?

This mental quagmire Gomez is likely living with right now, coupled with the tremendous growth of Eller over the past month or so, got me thinking during the game: What if Gomez's mandate was changed, and he was turned into a checker?

If Martin actually pulled Gomez aside and told him to stop worrying about producing up front, that he'll face the opposition's top line every night and he has to keep them off the scoreboard first and foremost, would that allow him to play with less pressure? Would he even accept such an assignment? And would he put in the effort necessary to play that role?

I don't know the answers to any of those questions, but if Gomez did actually accept it the trickledown effect of such a move would be significant.

First of all, I think Gomez would be pretty good at it. He has the skating ability and the hockey sense to do it, all he would need to bring is the effort.

Secondly, Tomas Plekanec would no longer have to face the opponent's top line so often. He began the game matched up with the Joe Thornton line on Saturday, but eventually Martin pulled him away from that line and, lo and behold, he scored the game-winning goal shortly afterwards.

Thirdly, it would put Eller into a clear scoring role. I love Darche, but Cammalleri is hurting right now and I wouldn't mind seeing how he would do with Pouliot and Eller as a second scoring line.

When asked Saturday if he felt like his line was carrying the team for a while, this is what Eller said: "I wouldn't say we carried the team. But we didn't have a single power play, so especially for us when we don't get a power play and there wasn't a lot of penalties, we get a good rhythm and a good flow, and I think that means a lot."

I thought that was really telling, because Eller is basically the only forward that doesn't get much special teams action now that Darche is playing on the power play. In a penalty-filled game, that means spending long stretches on the bench.

Now if Eller was actually used on the second wave of the power play, maybe he could maintain that rhythm the way he did Saturday on a more regular basis.

Eller says he feels like Martin is turning to him in more important game situations, and that's he's happy he's been able to earn that trust.

"It takes some time to build the coach's trust in you, and I'm sort of doing that now," he said. "It's nice that Jacques can trust me more and more and put me on the ice at the end of periods and end of games, so that gives me a kick. I find I'm getting more and more stability playing on the same line, and I'm just growing with the play of my teammates and the trust of my coach."

I followed that answer up by asking, "Do you think the coach will trust you enough to put you on the power play?"

Eller kind of fumbled around for a while before I let him off the hook, and advised him not to answer the question.

But really, it's perhaps time that Martin considered it.

And the final positive side effect of making Gomez a third-line checker would be that it would show the Canadiens are an elite team. How many teams can say they have a forward of his pedigree playing on the third line?

I know Gomez has stunk most of the season, but he's still a good player when he wants to be. And imagine this team heading into the playoffs with a confident Eller producing as a second line centre, and a motivated Gomez serving as a third line checker who can pitch in offensively?

It would be a dangerous combination, one that not too many teams would want to face in a seven-game series.