First off, a very happy birthday to the NHL, which got its start on Nov. 26, 1917. The first game was played between the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators, with the Canadiens winning 7-4.
Things have certainly changed since then.
At the start of the season, Montreal was sanguine about its chances to play into May. Captain Saku Koivu was dressed down in the offseason by the Montreal media for saying that the team had a chance to make the postseason but would not contend for the Stanley Cup. Koivu's comments came after GM Bob Gainey failed to sign free agent center Daniel Briere, who instead opted for a contract with the Philadelphia Flyers.
The free agent signings Gainey did make - he acquired solid defenseman Roman Hamrlik and gritty but unspectacular forwards Tom Kostopoulos, Steve Begin and Brian Smolinski - seemed to point to another rebuilding year. The Canadiens seemed to be letting their young talent play and develop while waiting to take stock of the market next season in hopes of ending a club-record 14 straight seasons without a Stanley Cup.
The young talent developed quicker than expected, with solid contributions from rookies Carey Price (.913 save percentage, 2.70 goals-allowed average) in goal and center Kyle Chipchura (five points, +5 in 20 games). Veterans have contributed as well, with star puck-handler and shooter Alexi Kovalev finding the groove he lacked all last year, notching 10 goals in 23 games.
Things were looking bright for the Habs, with a spectacular power play and Price solid in the net. But recently, Montreal has hit a rough patch, which may show that the season-opening run (good for second in the Northeast behind the three-alarm Senators) served only to raise false hopes for all Quebecois.
Montreal has dropped five of its last eight, losing three to the division rival Buffalo Sabres and two to the red-hot Sens. Prior to playing the Habs, the Sabres were listless and uninspired, reeling from the losses of Briere and Chris Drury to free agency. In the three games against Montreal, Buffalo has managed to find a spark, while the Canadiens have failed to get much going in the offensive zone, netting just three total goals.
Part of the problem is that the Canadiens live and die by the power play. Last season, it was defenseman Sheldon Souray with his 100-mile-per-hour slapshot who led the power play to a league-best 22.8 percent conversion rate and a fourth-best goals total of 86. This time, Hamrlik and fellow defenseman Andrei Markov are sharing the quarterbacking duty and doing a superb job. The Canadiens' PP was ranked first with a 30 percent conversion rate a few weeks ago. It remains in first at 26.8, with 30 goals tying for the league lead.
On the other hand, the Canadiens have been notoriously bad at scoring goals at even strength. Last season they tallied just 128 even-strength markers - 28th in the league - and missed the playoffs. This season so far looks to be a repeat, as the Canadiens have just 32 goals at even strength.
Considering the division of time between power play and even-strength play, the fact that the Canadiens have scored just two more goals at even strength is somewhat disconcerting. Without consistent five-on-five hockey, the Canadiens can't even hope to be successful.
Another problem is consistency in goal. Price has been fairly consistent in his starts and does not give up too many soft goals. However, he is a big man, and as a result, it is a little harder for him to lock up the five-hole and handle lower shots.
Coach Guy Carbonneau has said that he cannot find fault with Price's play so far, so look for him and Cristobal Huet to split starts, especially given Huet's problems thus far. Huet has been alternately brilliant and snakebitten, posting a shutout against the Sabres, but has allowed some very soft goals in his starts. Additionally, he has taken to glancing behind him to see if the puck has gone in net, even on extremely easy saves, further illustrating his skittishness and lack of confidence.
The Canadiens' next game is against their rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs (think Red Sox-Yankees on ice with sanctioned violence). The Leafs have turned in one of the worst performances in the NHL to date. Defenseman Brian McCabe is an overpaid traffic cone who has scored more game-winning goals for his opponents than for the Leafs, and the blue line corps and netminders are in complete disarray, having allowed far and away the league's most goals this season.
Despite this, the Leafs have managed to take two of three from the Habs, and their loss was in overtime, meaning that five of the Leafs' 21 points come courtesy of their rivals down the 401. Beating the Leafs in Toronto could provide the catalyst for the Canadiens to get their train back on the tracks and gain some points on their division rivals.
