Canadiens' Galchenyuk on slump: 'The bounces don't go your way sometimes'

The Montreal Canadiens need more offense from Alex Galchenyuk.

Galchenyuk set new career-highs in goals (20), assists (26) and points (46) in his third NHL season, but the 21-year-old hit a statistical wall near the end of the regular season and he hasn't fared much better in the postseason.

With two goals in his last 25 games, Galchenyuk isn't producing at the level that the Canadiens know he can. He recorded a goal and an assist in the opening two games of the first round but hasn't seen the scoresheet in five games since, seeing his time on ice drop to 14:06 in Game 6 against the Ottawa Senators.

Galchenyuk played 16:28 in Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday, but he was called for three minor penalties - the clearest sign his scoring slump is frustrating him.

"I know I can go out there and try to help the team win as much as I can. The bounces don't go your way sometimes," Galchenyuk told Arpon Basu of NHL.com. "It's a team sport. We're all battling. We're all trying to bring our game to the next level and that's what I'm trying to do. You know it's going to come to you if you keep working, and that's the way it is right now."

Galchenyuk's struggles are emblematic of Montreal's issues filling the net in the playoffs. Defenseman P.K. Subban leads the team with five points, while Max Pacioretty (3) and Dale Weise (2) are the only Canadiens who have scored more than one goal.

"There's a question of hockey karma also," Montreal coach Michel Therrien said. "You need breaks. We hit two posts, so we're talking about an inch. If it's one inch towards the inside, our offense is outstanding. It's perception. But we don't live in perception, we live in reality. We created good scoring chances, and if we keep working with the same determination we'll get back on track."