Montreal's alternate captain gave the hosts a third-period lead Saturday and fired up his teammates to help break a 10-game skid against Boston.
www.bostonglobe.com
Brendan Gallagher, the Canadiens’ tiny terror, was up to his aggravating ways Saturday night,
helping his Habs beat the Bruins, 3-2, in overtime.
The 5-foot-9-inch, 183-pound Gallagher specializes in getting to the dirty areas and getting under people’s skin. Missions accomplished against the Bruins, much to the delight of Bell Centre denizens.
The right wing is the type of player revered by his teammates and their faithful and reviled by opponents and their loyalists. Think
Danny Ainge. Or perhaps more appropriately,
Brad Marchand.
If the 12-year veteran wore black and gold instead of bleu, blanc, et rouge, Bruins fans would don his sweater in droves.
For his first act, Gallagher gave the Canadiens their first lead, capping a wild first minute of the third period in which the hosts erased a 1-0 lead.
For his encore, Gallagher crashed Swayman’s net yet again, this time after Marchand’s equalizer with 7:02 left. It was a two-fold mission: try to curb Boston’s momentum and regain the lead.
Gallagher got the Bruins’ blood boiling with his tussle with Swayman, even ripping the goalie’s mask off during an exchange of unpleasantries. It also got his teammates’ ire up and they went on to secure the win on Guhle’s strike.
“He’s a player that, I think, is a valuable player, and anybody that is at the top of the blue paint all the time finds ways to score goals,” said Boston boss
Jim Montgomery. “He’s got a lot of goals in this league, and he scores them the same way.”
Marchand, who was booed every time he touched the puck Saturday night (Canadiens fans’ acknowledgment that they both loathe and fear the Boston captain), had high praise for Gallagher’s game.
“I respect every guy that competes hard and he’s the type of guy that you win with and he’s the kind of guy that you want on your team when you’re in the playoffs and is willing to give it all on the ice,” said Marchand, who’s listed at the same height and 7 pounds lighter. “So, I do really respect those guys a lot because those are the guys that you want for your team when you’re fighting for a Cup. He’s made a great career for himself in front of the net, and the way that he battles and competes out there, he’s going to bring it every night and kind of leads the way for their team in that department. So, I do respect him, the way he plays and guys play like that.”
Gallagher, who is perfectly fine with playing the role of the villain, is an alternate captain and guiding force for the young Canadiens.
He’d also be a perfect fit for a club looking for some veteran sandpaper and scoring punch at or around the trade deadline.
