HabsWorld.net -- 

There weren’t a lot of conflicting opinions
when it came to voting for the HW 3 Stars of December.  The Habsworld readers
made their selections almost unanimously, and as a result, it was practically a
landslide when it came to selecting the 3 Stars.  Specifically, two Canadiens
received all but 2% of the 1st place votes, making this the first time that
there has been such consensus among the voters.  The HW Stars this month
include Carey Price, Alex Galchenyuk and Max Pacioretty.

1st Star Carey Price 11 GP –
7 W – 4 L – 1.93 GAA – 0.937 SV%

One of the criticisms mentioned in last month’s article was that
although Price was playing well and posting good numbers, his overall
performance was inconsistent throughout November.  The same can not
be said of this month, as Carey was consistent game by game, and this
contributed significantly to his successes in December.  En route to posting
season-best numbers, Carey allowed 3 or more goals only 3 times in the
entire month.  This in itself is impressive, but Carey tightened up
his game even more so as the month progressed; he allowed no more than 2
goals per game in the final 7 matches of December.  This stinginess
compensated for Montreal’s occasional inability to score and allowed the
Canadiens to maintain a healthy distance from the non-playoff teams in
the standings.

★


75%
★★


11%
★★★


13%
2nd Star Alex Galchenyuk 12 GP –
5 G –
5 A – 10 P – +6
Rating


It was the moment that Montreal fans had been waiting for since he was
drafted 3rd overall in 2012; Alex Galchenyuk was finally moved from his
semi-effective role as a winger and was given the opportunity to play
center with quality wingers.  The transition to center paid almost
instant dividends, as "Chucky" developed an immediate rapport with Max
Pacioretty while rekindling the chemistry he’d had with Brendan
Gallagher.  This synergy led to a productive month for Galchenyuk,
as he led the team in points and goals, and he tallied his first career
NHL hat-trick against the Carolina Hurricanes.  Although Galchenyuk
is still ways away from embodying the big, first-line center that
Montreal has been coveting for seemingly decades, December has shown
that he isn’t too far away from filling that role.

★

23%
★★


51%
★★★


14%
3rd Star Max Pacioretty 12 GP –
3 G –
6 A – 9 P – +8
Rating

With a 39-goal season on his NHL resume already, it’s not surprising
that most fans see Pacioretty’s defining qualities as those of a
goal-scorer.  But there’s more to "Patch" than sniping, and
December demonstrated that with the proper line-mates, he can make an
equal impact on a game with his passing abilities.  Freed from his
habitual line-mate, David Desharnais, Pacioretty learned that it’s not
always his responsibility to take the shot on goal, and the addition of
Galchenyuk to his line gave him another option that had been lacking for
some time.  That is not to say that he changed his game
drastically; although his 6 assists were tied for the team lead, his 37
shots on net topped the rest of the team as well.  Finally, in
spite of facing the opposition’s top checkers, Pacioretty shared the
team lead in the plus/minus category with P.K. Subban with a +8.

★

1%
★★

12%
★★★


26%
Honourable Mention P.K. Subban 12 GP –
3 G –
6 A – 9 P – +8
Rating

Despite the fact that Subban is on pace to set a career-high in points,
there are still many who feel that this season has been a bit of a
disappointment for the former Norris Trophy winner.  First, this
probably has a lot to do with the massive contract he signed in the
off-season, and the ridiculous expectations that accompanied it. 
But another reason may be that P.K. no longer has such an obvious impact
on the game; the flashy end-to-end, stick-handling demonstrations have
mostly been replaced with steady defensive play, which in turn
favours his team as well as his personal statistics.  It’s no
coincidence that P.K.’s plus/minus has benefitted as a result (though
one must credit Andrei Markov’s influence as well) and although P.K.
might not be as exciting to watch as often, the Montreal Canadiens are
better off for it.

★

0%
★★

8%
★★★

8%


Thanks to all that voted, and be sure to check in for next month’s edition of
the HW 3 Stars.