Montreal Canadiens

Reasons For Canadiens Forward Anderson’s Improved Results

Published

1 year ago

February 25, 2023

Montreal Canadiens forward Josh Anderson is enjoying his best stretch of hockey of the season.

And it’s not just a matter of examining his underlying numbers, although we will get into that a little later in this article.

Anderson is displaying the type of intensity that has led to several general managers calling Kent Hughes to enquire about his availability on the NHL trade market.

Most importantly, he’s doing it in on a nightly basis rather than going long periods without making an impact, which was the case earlier in the season.

Powering The Power Horse

Playing alongside Nick Suzuki tends to always lead to an increase in production, but in Anderson’s case, it’s the other player on the line who has made the biggest impact.

Anderson’s goal on Friday night against the Philadelphia Flyers was the perfect example of what feisty forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard brings to the table: a relentless forecheck that almost always leads to high-danger scoring chances for his linemates.

Josh Anderson’s goal tonight #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/n1YbFIzMUY

— Habs Fan TV (@habsfantv_) February 25, 2023

To give you an idea of the impact made by Harvey-Pinard, we can simply look at some of the numbers driving the improved production from Anderson.

With Harvey-Pinard, Anderson’s expected goals for is a very impressive 61.8 percent. Without? A touch under 41 percent.

The same results occur when you repeat the exercise with various statistics.

When playing together, Harvey-Pinard and Anderson are on the ice for 4 goals per 60 minutes of 5v5 ice time, as well as 0.67 goals against per 60. When Harvey-Pinard is removed from the mix, Anderson’s on-ice numbers drop to 2.8 goals per 60 and 3.6 goals against per 60.

The difference is particularly notable when evaluating high-danger scoring chances, as Anderson goes from 64 percent control of quality chances alongside Harvey-Pinard to just a 37 percent control without him.

Style Shift

It would be incredibly unfair to say Anderson’s resurgence is completely driven by playing with Suzuki and Harvey-Pinard.

Known as a north-south player, Anderson has modified his playing style to reduce the number of rushes he creates, which, in turn, has improved the number of individual expected goals (ixG60%) for the winger, but has improved his overall gameplay.

It’s an important change that is noteworthy for several reasons.

As the March 3rd NHL Trade Deadline quickly approaches, not only is Anderson producing more, he’s managed to modify one of his greatest weaknesses: a one-dimensional approach to scoring.

It remains to be seen whether Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes changes his opinion on a potential trade, but regardless of the outcome in early March, Anderson’s excellent February is a great sign for all concerned.