On Thursday night, the 21-year-old defenseman's courage was on full display in the Canadiens' 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena.
During the second period, the rookie rearguard sacrificed his body not once, but twice during the same penalty-killing sequence to block a pair of shot attempts from Red Wings forward Martin Frk.
In short, Juulsen's bravery really was the topic of conversation in the locker room after the final buzzer in the Motor City.
"We talk a lot about sacrificing the body when we're short-handed. We know Frk has a very good shot. It takes guts and it isn't the first time we see him block shots like that," praised Nicolas Deslauriers, who scored a pair of goals in Thursday night's victory to help the Canadiens complete a four-game season sweep of the Red Wings - and snap a three-game losing streak in the process. "You have to want it, and those are things that we're looking for in the last two games of the season, to find some positives. That's a real positive."
Like Deslauriers, Drouin was equally impressed by Juulsen's willingness to do everything in his power to keep the puck from getting to goaltender Antti Niemi.
"It definitely makes a difference, especially when you see who shot the puck. I played with Frk [with the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads]. He has a hard shot," confirmed Drouin. "It hurts, and seeing him take it a second time in the same leg, the same spot, is impressive. He has courage and we need that."
Admittedly, Juulsen was in some serious discomfort on the bench. But, he knows full well that blocking shots whenever possible is just a part of the job.
"I was in a decent amount of pain. I didn't really see the first one coming. It just hit me," explained Juulsen. "Then, the second one I was just in the lane and just blocked it. It's a part of my game, so I think I have to do it… The boys were supporting me there. You probably heard it from the bench. It's a bit of a booster for the guys on the PK, for sure."
Up front, Deslauriers snapped a nine-game goal drought with his ninth and 10th goals of the season. It marked the first time in his career that he hit double digits in the goal-scoring department in a single season.
"With the season I had last year, where I didn't score, it's fun to put a 1 in front of a 0. It's a change," said Deslauriers with a laugh. "I hadn't scored in a while, so it does some good. I said it before, though, I'm not a guy who looks at statistics, but it does some good."
It goes without saying that head coach Claude Julien is pleased to see the LaSalle native enjoy success with the CH.
"It's been a good season for Nicolas, especially with the way he's gone about getting things done. He's a guy who doesn't necessarily play on the power play. He scores his goals five-on-five. That's one of the ways we need to score more goals," noted Julien. "He's doing his work, and I think he also realizes that it's his role and he does it well. I'm happy for him."
