Predicting who will lead the Montreal Canadiens in scoring

1) How impressed are you with the way the Montreal Canadiens have been playing so far this season and can they keep it up?

Kamal Rehman: I’ve been very impressed with how the Habs have been playing. Even in losses, their play has been fast and energetic. One can say the Sabres game didn’t show that style of play, but that was a classic trap game as the Montreal Canadiens really seemed like they were looking towards the Saturday game against the Bruins. And boy, did that ring true. The Habs looked like their normal early season selves as they played a gem against the B’s.

Their play has shown a new style and strategy that the Habs have not shown in years. Their speed catches so many teams off guard and has been a great weapon. They also are playing a type of game where they take the play to the other team and not a “let Carey try to stop everything, and we’ll try to win 1-0” type of game. They no longer play a docile game. I like it. It’s exciting. Win or lose.

A lot of pundits have been saying, “But can they keep it up?” They say it’s impossible to play like that for 82 games. Maybe so. Maybe not. I will say they’ve been playing well without Carey needing to be elite and they’ve been playing well without…oh, a certain number one elite defenseman in Shea Weber. Think about that.

Zack Cook: It would be hard to say you aren’t impressed with what the Montreal Canadiens have accomplished early on this season. Some of us expected the team to be a lot more entertaining, and they have certainly fit the bill, but few expected them to be this competitive. A combination of strong goaltending and a team that skates well is certainly a recipe for success in today’s NHL. The true test will come for this team when they hit the dog days of the season in January, and we’ll see if they continue to put up this kind of effort on any given night.