PHILADELPHIA -- Jeff Petry didn't push for the top defenseman spot on the Canadiens depth chart but the role suits him well just the same.
Montreal had a cut-and-dry No. 1 defenseman in Shea Weber, but when the Sicamous native was shut down out with a left foot injury Dec. 19, Montreal turned to the next man up.
That was Petry's cue.
Nearly two months and 21 games later, Petry has risen to the occasion and is on pace to set new career highs in points, goals and assists. With 25 points on the season, he needs four more to exceed his previous mark set in 2016-17 and has already matched his career-best in goals with eight this season.
"You're missing your best defenceman so we've been aware of that but it's given the other guys the opportunity to step up and maybe play a bigger role," head coach Claude Julien said on Thursday. "Petry is the one that's had more ice than normally and he's been asked to play in a lot of situations."
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Petry is averaging 24:34 on the ice since Weber was placed on the injured reserve, compared to 22:44 he was averaging prior to Dec. 19. In the past two weeks, he has recorded six points in as many games for the Canadiens, including a two-goal game in a win against the Anaheim Duck Feb. 3, all while averaging over 25 minutes per contest.
And while the production has been an added bonus, Petry is still driving puck possession with a 52.38 Corsi rating, doing so while taking Weber's regular shifts against the opposition's top offensive threats.
"Confidence, really. He seems like he's playing with a ton of confidence, not afraid to try beating guys one-on-one, not afraid to shoot the puck," said Karl Alzner, who has spent more time on the ice with Petry at 5-on-5 than any other Montreal teammate (even Carey Price). "He's got a heck of a shot and he's skating. He feels comfortable out there right now and we get to see what he can do when he feels comfortable, it's nice."
Weber skated on his own Wednesday before practice for the first time since December. There's no timetable for his return but Julien did say that " ... any time you see a guy jump on the ice, it's a positive thing."
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The Canadiens are adament on giving Weber time to return to 100 percent — he played through his foot virtually injury the entire season — rather than bringing him back prematurely.
Sitting 14th in the Eastern Conference standings at 22-26-6, there is no rush to get Weber back into the lineup, and Petry's ability to fill in through Weber's absence isn't doing anything to expedite that timeline.
"He's been really important for us. He's been doing a lot of things, he plays a lot of minutes," Artturi Lehkonen told Sporting News. "He's really reliable both ways at the ice, he can make plays and he's also extremely good defensively so he's been huge for us."