Armia: Lighting the lamp on his mind

MONTREAL - Joel Armia isn't pleased with his production in the goal-scoring department so far this season, but it certainly hasn't been for a lack of trying.

The 25-year-old Finn ranks third on the Canadiens' roster with 24 shots on the year, but only has two goals to show for it through 10 games.
Shooting the puck at an 8.3 percent clip doesn't sit well with the Pori native, who has his sights set on finding the back of the net on a far more frequent basis.
"Before I came to North America, I used to score a lot of goals. I was kind of shooting all the time. That's what I want to get back to," said the former Finnish Elite League standout, who scored 55 goals over the course of his three SM-liiga campaigns between 2010 and 2013. "I want to start shooting more and being quicker on the ice, quicker in my decisions. I think that's going to make me a better player."

Armia is coming off a career year with the Winnipeg Jets, posting single-season highs in goals (12), assists (17), points (29) and games played (79), so you can understand his desire to carry that over and be a real difference-maker for his new team.
"I'm going to work as hard as I can every day to remember to shoot more," affirmed the 16th overall selection of the Buffalo Sabres back in 2011. "That's been my message to myself."
We've already seen just how good Armia can be offensively.
Remember his first goal in a Canadiens uniform when he batted a Paul Byron pass out of the air against the Pittsburgh Penguins?

Or, how about these gorgeous passes to Byron for goals against the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators, respectively?

Then, there was this sweet wrap-around against the Buffalo Sabres last Thursday…

Feeling right at home in Montreal
While it might take some players a period of time to adjust to life in a new city, Armia insists that hasn't been the case for him.
The group as a whole has been so welcoming and the vibe so good early on that it was essentially a seamless transition.
"Since Day 1, I've been really comfortable with all of the guys. I've had a lot of fun every single day I come to the rink and I enjoy being here," explained Armia, whose girlfriend, Emilia, has joined him in Montreal. "It's a great city. The fans are great. The place I live is great. There are great restaurants. I like everything about it."

Having three countrymen in the locker room in Antti Niemi, Artturi Lehkonen and Jesperi Kotkaniemi has been a big help, too.
"Sometimes, I think that I might be talking too much Finnish to these guys. I wonder, should I just go talk to someone else?" said Armia with a laugh. "It's been good to have four Finns here. The other guys have never come to me and told me that I talk too much Finnish or anything. I think I get along with everyone."
On the ice, the five-year NHL veteran definitely likes what he sees.
"We work together. You can see from our games, we really try to help each other out there," mentioned Armia. "The way we play, we're skating a lot and working and battling hard. It's similar with every guy here. Every guy wants to put in the work and help the team win games."