Article content

When Canadiens rearguard Shea Weber sustained a foot injury during the first game of the season, an already weak defensive lineup suffered a significant blow. The team eventually shut him down on Dec. 16, but not before Weber managed to play 26 games on his injured foot, and an already delicate situation on the blue line got worse.

Losing their best defender meant that Jeff Petry — the only other legitimate top-four defenceman on the roster — was thrust into the No. 1 defenceman spot. Although this new role came with a significant uptick in defensive duties and despite the disappointing season the Canadiens are enduring, Petry is quietly on his way to having a career season.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Analyze This: Jeff Petry flourishes in new role as Habs' power-play QB Back to video

He generally faces the best players from the opposing teams, and he does so while playing alongside Karl Alzner, who has struggled in most facets of the game this season. But, as the graph below illustrates, Petry’s effect on Alzner’s play is quite significant.