Alexandre Texier has been making the most of playing on the Montreal Canadiens' top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, and the French forward was the catalyst of a 6-2 victory over the defending champion Florida Panthers at the Bell Centre on Thursday night.
Texier recorded the first hat trick of his career in the drubbing — his second consecutive three-point game after scoring a goal and two assists in a 4-1 win vs. the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.
“I don’t know if I’m surprised, I’ve always had confidence in my game,” the 26-year-old said afterwards, per NHL.com's Sean Farrell. “I got this opportunity and it’s going well. You can’t get too high or too low, you have to keep your feet on the ground too, and I’m just going to keep playing the same way.”
Texier has been an excellent addition in Quebec after having his contract terminated by the St. Louis Blues. He signed a one-year contract with Montreal on November 23, and has immediately added another weapon to the team's high-flying attack.
He also added his name to the annals of French hockey in the win, becoming just the second French player in NHL history to score a hat trick, joining Antoine Roussel, who accomplished the feat in February of 2017, per Farrell.
Texier and Montreal's success has been synonymous: the Canadiens have won eight of their last 11 games, in the process vaulting to the top of the Atlantic Division. They're currently just one point back of the Carolina Hurricanes for first place in the Eastern Conference as the heater continues.
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“I thought it was one of our most complete back-to-back games,” said Suzuki, who added an assist in the triumph. “Just really mature, taking what they’re giving us. It was pretty much back-and-forth, forechecking and dumping pucks in, and we just stuck to the game plan, got the lead and hung on, and it was a huge win against a division rival.”
The Canadiens just looked like the better team against the Panthers on Thursday, and that's been a recurring theme as of late. They've been surging since the middle of December, and are looking poised to finish top-three in the Atlantic for the first time since winning it in 2016-17.
Moving Juraj Slafkovsky onto the second line with Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen, while at the same time elevating Texier to the top line, has paid off. All of the forwards are seeing the ice well, with Slafkovsky and Texier both playing their best hockey of the season.
“I think he jumped right in with the group and focused on looking ahead,” Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis said of Texier. “You can’t do anything about the past and you can’t get tied up in the future, you’ve got to stay in the present and I think that’s what he’s doing.”
Now 25-13-6 and winners of three straight, the Habs will look to keep the winning streak alive when the Detroit Red Wings visit the Bell Centre on Saturday night.
