Paul Byron described himself during camp as the Swiss Army Knife for his ability to play various roles. Since arriving in Montreal in 2015-2016, he has played on both the right and left wings just as much in the second streak as the fourth streak.
The 31-year-old Byron has two seasons of 20 or more goals to his name. It was in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. Since the start of the year, Ti-Paul has not unleashed his sorcery skills.
Focus on two main responsibilities, responsibility for the fourth-line wing at Jake Evans and Artturi Lehkonen as well as getting appearances in shorthand.
On paper and ice, the CH4 fourth trio looks pretty good. In the past, Byron often found himself in the last offensive unit, but he thinks this trio has the potential to become the best since their first steps in Montreal.
“Yes, there is a lot of potential for this line,” Byron said. We still have good players in the fourth streak. She has already played Philip Danault and Tory Mitchell (2015-2016 and 2016-2017). I see things in Jake that I saw in Phil. Jake is young and has room to grow. Artturi is a very good player, able to play anywhere on ice. We know that we are a good defensive line, but we are also trying to help the team offensively. “
Most of the fourth triple
Historically, Claude Julian was never fond of numbering his trilogies. Byron is not afraid to do so, but he finds number four the most valuable in a team that relies on a lot of depth.
“We are in fourth grade. He remembers that when you look at our lines, we have four good lines. When you take the three guys off the fourth line, you can find the three guys on the third line with many NHL teams. We give energy. When our team finishes the strength game, We often face the best streak of the opposing team. Our team identity is based on four lines capable of hitting you one after the other. I really like thirty and I think we will get better. “
Offensively, the fourth streak scored only one goal from five to five in six matches. Evans hit the goal in a 7-3 win over Canucks on Thursday in Vancouver. More goals scored by Evans and Liconen.
In an ideal world, which he does not exist, Julian would like to score five more goals for the Evans gang. But we will return to the critics.
“Yeah, I love this trio,” Julian said. All three are doing well. We are talking about three workers. They complement each other well, and have great chemistry. Evans is a very smart center. It merged well. I am very comfortable with this streak, I can use it against the best streak in the opposing team. “
tension
After being slapped by Shea Weber in Game 5 of the season in Vancouver, Byron chased the pain fast enough not to miss his next match against Canucks.
“I was scared when I saw the shea take off. The puck was low. I tried to avoid the shot. When the disc hit me, it was hurting me. I’m lucky to be able to play. In the future, I will try to be in a better position to hide the goalkeeper without getting hit.”
In the absence of Joel Jeremiah, who had suffered a concussion, Corey Perry found himself on the right flank of the third streak with Gisbury Kotkaniemi and Tyler Toffoli.
See Paul Byron’s press briefing in the video above.