The Quarter Poll: Assessing the Montreal Canadiens

If at the start of the season I would have told you that the Montreal Canadiens would be 1st overall in not just the Atlantic division but the entire NHL, how many of you would have told me I was looking through my rose-colored glasses? As it turns outs the Habs are tops in the NHL for the moment, and although they haven’t finished there in years, wouldn’t that be something! The team’s MVP is still Carey Price, but what else do the Habs have to offer?

Nov 22, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; The Montreal Canadiens celebrate with goaltender Carey Price (31) after their victory over the Boston Bruins at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

16 wins through 23 games! How they get it done is another matter entirely. Let’s take a statistical look.

16 wins – Outscoring their opponents 52 -24, which doesn’t count the shootout goals.

6 losses – Outscored by a huge margin of 30-3, which includes being shutout 4 times!

1 OT loss – Only one loser point, a 4-3 decision to Vancouver.

What do those stats tell us? Well for starters when they lose, they lose big! They’re not losing tightly contested affairs, they’re losing games where they were never actually in it, like the latest loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday by a score of 5-0. Having already been shutout 4 times in just 23 games is a little startling, and shows that when the Habs aren’t moving their feet and creating offense, bad things really do happen.

Well then, what are the positives? Simple really. The Habs have already banked 33 points! Their ROW is tied for second in the NHL with 12, so the tiebreaker situation looks good as well. What we can also take from that is that currently the Habs are winning over 71% of their games, and that is astounding. Can they keep that pace up? Well that is open to debate, and I tend to believe that good teams find a way to overcome their flaws.

Here are some more stats that demonstrate the traits of this club so far;

Nov 8, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) makes a save against Minnesota Wild during the first period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

Powerplay – 12.7% (28th in the NHL)

Penaltykill – 84.3% (9th in the NHL)

Shots/Game – 27.5 (27th in the NHL)

Shots Against/Game – 30.6 (19th in the NHL)

Winning % when scoring 1st – 100% (1st in the NHL)

Faceoff % – 54.6 (which is 1st overall in the NHL)

Goals For – 61

Goals Against – 57

First off the Habs are below the total 100% that most successful teams have when you add their special teams totals together. The best teams will total over 100% which those who fall behind are under. A combined score of 97% isn’t bad, but unless the powerplay begins to tally some more goals the points could dry up. I’m a firm believer that it’s imperative that you have over 100% and that a successful team shouldn’t be rated in the bottom of the league for either special team. Plenty of season left to correct the powerplay and get it over 15%.

One of the biggest differences from the last few years is in the faceoff dot. I honestly believe the addition of Manny Malhotra was a stroke of pure genius and really underrated and under-appreciated. Having the best faceoff man in the NHL leads to much better internal competition in practice which correlates directly to actual games. The Habs are still not a top possession team, but the fact that they often start with the puck after a draw is effecting he percentages in a positive way.

Biggest Disappointment

I would have to say it’s the fact that David Desharnais is still the #1 center on this team. He’s simply not producing at a high enough level to warrant the coveted spot, and I’m tired of the chemistry argument. Pacioretty has played for Team USA and he didn’t suffer playing with other centers. I would even make the argument that playing him next to Galchenyuk would make them a better duo. At this point he is being carried and his play is bordering on haphazard. He needs to play with an urgency that just isn’t there right now.

Oct 21, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens center David Desharnais (51) scores a goal against Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard (35) as defenseman Niklas Kronwall (55) defends during an over-time period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

Biggest Surprise

Tomas Plekanec has proven to us all that if he wasn’t always saddled with odds and ends as his wingers he would be productive. He sits 2nd on the Habs in scoring behind only Pacioretty, and frankly he has to match-up against opposing teams best lines. He also doesn’t see the powerplay time that the 1st line gets, but is on the 2nd wave.

Nov 22, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Montreal Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec (14) scores a goal past Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (40) during the second period at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Finally has anyone noticed how much “dead weight” that the GM has now liberated from the roster moving forward? Easily the most active GM at the moment, Bergerven has made room for youngsters in his forward ranks, while ensuring that his promising young guns on defense are in Hamilton eating up big minutes. I’m not overly happy that Tinordi is down on the farm, but until he’s completely ready is there really a reason to rush him?

33 point in 23 games…. already that’s 1/3 the points needed to make the playoffs in only 25% of the season. Let’s hope the halfway mark looks as great!

Thanks for reading.