Canadiens Finally Healthy & Back in the Mix

The young Slovak has scored two goals (and three points) in the three games on the top line. He plays with more conviction, and more physicality and his skill set seems to mesh almost perfectly on this line as all three play a highly skilled form of two-way hockey. Having players positioned in more suitable roles has helped to improve their overall offence to a respectable 3.11 goals for per game (GF/GP), good for 14^th overall in the NHL. 

The power play (PP) is now looking like a lethal weapon, thanks to Patrik Laine who has scored eight PP goals in nine games played. While he doesn’t have an even-strength goal yet, just adding him to the lineup has made this team a much more dangerous team to play against. Before Laine’s arrival, the Canadiens’ PP was sitting 15th in the NHL, clicking at 20.8%, in the nine games with the Finnish sniper, Montreal has a PP scoring at a 26.7% rate. A full 6% higher is a massive improvement, and the only difference is the addition of Laine.

The aggregate now has them sitting at a very respectable 12th overall at 22.5%. Having a more lethal PP helps in many ways, and not just goals scored. The fact it can score at better than a one-in-four rate means teams will be very wary of taking penalties against the Canadiens. That fact should buy a little more time and space for them to maneuver, which can only help their five-on-five play. 

Canadiens’ Defence Wakes Up 

Alexandre Carrier’s arrival was better than expected. His first game with Montreal produced some very encouraging stats. The Canadiens controlled puck possession for the majority of his time on the ice.

Carrier was brought in as insurance for any possible David Savard trade at the deadline. It made sense considering that they were on the lookout for a veteran right-handed defender who could help stabilize their blue line for some time. An important aspect of the trade was that Carrier was still under contract for two more seasons past this current one earning a cap hit of $3.75 million, which is only $250,000 more than Savard. The arrival of Carrier to the team helps to shelter some of the youth, but it also buys management time as they won’t be in any hurry to deal Savard unless their trade value is met.   

The deal moves players back into their proper slots. Montreal was playing nights with only one right-handed defender, which did not help, especially as they have one of the youngest blue lines in the NHL. Playing your opposite side is not a recipe for success, especially as you are developing. Adding Carrier to the mix helps ease the pressure for players like Kaiden Ghule, who he is paired with. 

Prior to the Canadiens having a fully healthy lineup, the team’s defence struggled. It was bad, as in 32nd in the NHL, allowing 3.83 goals against per game played (GA/GP) and 30th overall in goals allowed. Since they have been fully healthy, Montreal has dramatically improved their defensive output to 2.78 GA/GP and is 12th in the NHL for goals allowed. 

The penalty kill (PK) has also seen improvement. In the first 24 games of the season, they were able to kill 81.9% of their penalties, which is still very respectable. However, once everyone was placed into their proper roles, the PK improved to 83.3%. With the addition of a solid PK player in Carrier, the expectation is for that special team to improve again. 

Canadiens’ Resilience

How quickly the players and coaches responded after the 9-2 blowout loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins, on home ice, speaks volumes about this team’s tenacity. After that loss, they put together their first three-game win streak, and all three wins were some of their best team performances. But let us keep some perspective, those three wins were against the Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings, who are now both behind Montreal in the standings.  

This resilience is seen mostly due to the team playing healthy for the first time in years. In the offseason, when management said they wanted to be in the mix, certain assumptions were made in deciding that this season would be one where they could climb up the standings and play relevant games into March. The first was having a healthy Laine, and even without being at 100%, he is a difference maker. Another was that the right side of the blue line would be stabilized with one of their young prospects such as Logan Mailloux. While that didn’t happen, the addition of Carrier looks to be the solution to that issue, while also buying those prospects more time to develop. 

Yes, this is the new standard, but it was set while on home ice, for the most part. The true test will be if they can replicate these levels of effort on the road. While the club is back to health, it still lacks the depth necessary to be a playoff team, even if they hover close to the final position. It isn’t all sunshine and roses as Cayden Primeau has not been able to play well consistently, placing more pressure on Samuel Montembeault. 

The Canadiens are in the third year of their rebuild and seem to feel they have the right veterans in place. With a fully healthy lineup, no one can argue that this season’s edition of the Canadiens are improved from last season. Without the right veterans in place, you get what you see in Buffalo, where the Sabres are spiralling down the drain once again and all but guaranteeing themselves a 14th straight playoff miss. The Habs aren’t likely to make a miracle run and make the playoffs this season, but the improvements seen individually and as a team, thanks in part to better roster construction, pave the way for the next stage.