"They've been a good line all season, because they play against the best lines on the other team. When the three of them are on point, they'll play the majority of the game in the offensive zone instead of in our end," added Julien of Montreal's top line consisting of Tatar, Phillip Danault, and Brendan Gallagher. "That's what's made them successful, and that's why we're often able to counter the other teams' top lines."
Searching for 60
That line may be gelling well, but the Canadiens still found themselves on the losing end in the New York game despite getting ahead 2-0 before the game was 24 minutes old.
Danault recognizes it's something his squad needs to keep working at.
"We've talked about it a lot, and we hear it being talked about everywhere. Want it, or don't want it, it's in our heads, but it's on us to stay strong mentally and to be able to play a full 60 minutes," outlined Danault, who sits second in team scoring with 43 points (12G, 31A). "We played 40 minutes yesterday and we were solid. So it's that extra 20 minutes we have to go after. If you look at it like that, it's like five minutes more per game, so it should be possible."
