The skinny
Entering his sixth season in Montreal and the second-last of his current contract, Petry was in a sense a new man in 2019-20 after stepping into some big shoes in the absence of captain Shea Weber for much of the previous campaign. With that experience under his belt, Petry undertook this season with aplomb, posting a third straight 40-point season - with 11 goals and 29 assists. Had the season gone the full way, Petry was projected to tie his career high of 46 points (13G, 33A). The 32-year-old has lit the lamp 52 times since joining the Canadiens, which puts him in a tie with Weber for 16th among defensemen in franchise history.
The Ann Arbor, MI native led the Canadiens in total ice time and was just behind Weber in average ice time per game, clocking 1,678:52 and 23:39, respectively. His average of 1:24 in overtime was tops on the Habs, while his 2:24 per game with the man advantage was second behind only Ilya Kovalchuk (tied with Jonathan Drouin). Petry was Montreal's hits leader with 177 this season, and he also led all Canadiens defensemen with 30 takeaways. In February, he scored the overtime winner against the Hurricanes - the fourth of his career as a Hab - putting him in a tie for most such goals by a defenseman all-time on the Canadiens. Petry finished the year in a four-way tie for first on Montreal with three game-winners in 2019-20.
Notable numbers
Playoff punditry
Petry continued his monster play in the postseason. He scored the winners in Games 1 and 3 of the Pittsburgh series, becoming just the fifth Canadiens defenseman with multiple game-winning goals in a single playoff year.* He edged out Weber for the team lead in ice time, clocking an impressive 25:27 per game in 10 postseason contests, and was one of only three Habs to dish out 30 or more hits in the playoffs.
Goal of the year
