Lehkonen giving Canadiens scoring boost with Pacioretty neutralized
Artturi Lehkonen is making it easier for the Montreal Canadiens to stomach Max Pacioretty's struggles.
The Canadiens trail the New York Rangers 3-2 in their first-round series, but Lehkonen has scored twice in the last three contests, and he posted a pair of points in Game 5 on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, Pacioretty led the Canadiens with 35 goals and 67 points in the regular season, but has been held goalless in all five playoff contests, while being limited to just a lone assist in the series.
That's why Lehkonen's contributions have been so vital for Montreal, which will be looking to stave off elimination in Game 6 on Saturday night.
The rookie notched 18 goals in the regular season, and that success has carried over to the postseason. He's now playing on the Canadiens' second line alongside Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher.
And Lehkonen is drawing rave reviews from his head coach.
"He’s just one of those players that keeps impressing all the time,” Claude Julien said Thursday, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.
“To me, he’s way ahead of his curve of development. Unbelievable hockey sense. Incredible poise. He’s one of those guys that if you came to watch a hockey game and didn’t know any of the players, you would never think this is a young guy in his first year.”
The Canadiens must have seen something other teams didn't when they selected Lehkonen with the 55th overall pick in 2013.