In the season-opener on Wednesday night, Brendan Gallagher looked exactly like his usual self. He was tenacious. He was quick. He went to the dirty areas against larger defenders. And, of course, he was assessed a minor penalty for goaltender interference.
The former fifth-round pick forcefully took his NHL job with the Montreal Canadiens by playing a much bigger man's game, and has ridden that style of play to the top of the depth chart on the right wing. This year, he's playing alongside Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty, so it should be a great chance for him to put up even more impressive numbers than he has managed thus far in his career.