Habs Keeping Fans in Awe, Our 7 Reasons

Oct 17, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) makes a save against Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin (71) during the first period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

Habs Keeping Fans in Awe, Our 7 Reasons

As Arpon Basu noted yesterday, the Habs winning streak to begin the season hasn’t been all Carey Price. While he’s been a huge part of it, the forwards and defensemen are finally getting noticed and reporters are taking note, marching past Carey Price’s locker and finding their main story elsewhere. That say everything you need to know about this team. It’s not one player or goaltender, it’s a team. An impressive one at that.

Throughout this continuing winning streak, the Habs have done many things right. I’d like to touch on 7 in particular that I’ve noticed that differ from previous seasons. Here they are in no particular order.

Oct 15, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman

(76) hits New York Rangers forward

(20) during the second period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

1. Clearing Front of the Net

Vicious. That’s what the work in front of Carey Price has been like, vicious. Cross-checks, punches, slew foots, you name it, the Habs have used it to make sure Price can see the puck coming and to minimize the chances of deflections. To me, this may be one of the main reasons scoring against the Habs has been lowest in the league this year (1.16 GA/GP) by a huge margin (SJ next at 1.60). All defensemen and forwards deserve credit for this one, and it’s a huge improvement over last season.

Sep 28, 2015; Quebec City, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens center

(27) shoots on Pittsburgh Penguins goalie

(29) as defenseman

(58) defends and center

(81) during the first period at Videotron Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

2. Continuous Onslaught

In previous seasons under Michel Therrien, whenever the Habs had a lead to work with, they seemed to play it safe and lock down their forechecking to “ensure the win”. That lead to numerous opportunities for opponents and often lead to game-tying goals, overtime, and losses. This season, the Habs are taking it to opponents all game long, relentlessly working to get chances to add to their leads. And it’s working, with many of their leads being extended in the 3rd period as the game enters the last half of the 3rd period. There’s something to be said for the saying “the best defence is a great offence” and for the Habs, it’s taking pressure off their defensemen and goaltender.

Oct 15, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; New York Rangers defenseman

(27) moves Montreal Canadiens forward

(11) away from teammate goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30)during the first period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

4. Drawing Penalties

This one is a direct result of the hard work the Habs are putting in, keeping their legs going as they maintain puck possession to create opportunities. Only the Canucks (87) have more PIM against than the Habs (75), giving the Habs numerous opportunities to improve their power play early on in the season. Meanwhile, the Habs have taken 52 PIM overall, giving them a good differential that’s resulted in more PP opportunities than PK.

Oct 10, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; The Montreal Canadiens celebrate a goal by

during the first period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

5. Power Plays are Numerous, and Starting to Click

It took a few ignition switch turns to get it together, but you can see the hard work in this part of the game working out very well. The picture above was taken after David Desharnais scored on the Power Play. Do I need to say that again? When DD is scoring PP goals, you know you’ve improved your system. First of all, before last night’s game, the Habs were tied for the league lead with 21 PP opportunities. That’s allowed them to work through some issues, and they wound up scoring 2 PP goals last night against the Red Wings. It was the difference of the game overall and lead to another win.

In watching the PP work, you can see that the Habs are no longer relying on 1 simple strategy (shots from the point in an open lane). They’re working low, getting shots and passes through the slot to get goalies moving, and are passing a lot more than they have in the past. They also seem more patient with the puck, pulling defenders out of position more often. I know the PP% doesn’t reflect it yet, but this PP has been a lot more effective overall and should help the Habs in the long-term.

Oct 15, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) makes a save against New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider (20) during the second period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

6. Outstanding Goaltending

You knew it was coming. Carey Price has made some miraculous saves and has held the fort for all but 1 of the Habs 6 wins. But it hasn’t been all Price, as Mike Condon got in on the act and managed a .952 save% win, allowing only 1 goal. Again, part of this is due to the improved work done in front of the net by Habs players, but you have to tip your hat to both goaltenders as they’ve locked it down overall and have rarely – if ever – let an easy goal in. Price’s 1.20 GAA and .958 save% are outstanding to say the least. His focus looks stronger than ever, he’s moving extremely quick and instinctively, and opponents are tightening their sticks as a result.

The Habs are getting the benefit of the best goaltending in the league and it should take them very far this season.

And finally….

Oct 13, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Montreal Canadiens center

(17) and Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman

(3) chase the puck during the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. Montreal won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

7. Balanced Lines, Balanced Scoring, Better Coaching

I know that arguments can be made that coaching and lines are not exactly the same thing, but in the Habs case, getting Michel Therrien to keep lines together through 6 games is quite a feat. First, you have to give him credit for playing the right players together. Moving DD to the third line has worked out very well, particularly with his chemistry with Dale Weise and Thomas Fleischmann. The second line has been very impressive and included the bold move of moving Alex Galchenyuk to centre and Lars Eller to the wing. And finally, the fourth line has meshed extremely well, allowing Therrien to roll four lines through most of the games.

The last part is crucial as it allows for fresh legs throughout the lineup. The top line has averaged about 30-40 second less per game this season as compared to last season. Meanwhile, the fourth line has averaged 1 full minute more. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a clear indication that the coaches are very comfortable with all Habs lines and are willing to put them out there in any situation.

SUMMARY

All-in-all, the Habs are firing on all cylinders. The players are saying and doing the right things, momentum is 100% positive at this point, and the plan is working out to perfection. Enjoy it while it lasts, because there will surely be some bumps in the road at some point in the season. Still, you have to recognize at this point that the Habs are the team to beat in the NHL. They’re set to put themselves in position for another playoff run, and one they may be hungrier for than ever before. If they continue doing what they’re doing so far this season, we can call them the Stanley Cup favourites. The Habs are keeping fans in awe. It’s fun to watch and we hope they keep it going in this direction!

What about you? What do you credit for the Habs winning streak so far in 2015-16? Let us know in the comments section.

Next: Montreal Canadiens Prospect: Lukas Vejdemo

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