Predicting who will lead the Montreal Canadiens in scoring

Mark Darling: I must admit it’s hard not be impressed with Montreal’s early-season play, considering all the dismal projections for this year’s edition of les Canadiens. But let’s try to keep things in perspective, folks.

Realistically, Montreal’s current pace is simply not sustainable. Let’s be honest.
Montreal is currently on pace for 109 points, which equates to a 38-point increase from last season. FYI, Toronto and Washington both finished with 105 points last year, tied for third in the Eastern Conference.

Montreal’s offence is currently averaging over three goals per game and is on pace to top 270. In terms of personal stats, Max Domi is on pace for 80+ points, Jeff Petry is primed to top 70 points, and Brendan Gallagher is the early favourite for the Rocket Richard Trophy as he is currently on pace for a 61-goal campaign. And while we’re at it, Noah Juulsen will finish +48 for the year. Not bad for a beginner.

Simply put, the Montreal Canadiens cannot keep up this pace, but that does not necessarily mean a tailspin either. October was a short month with a relatively easy schedule, and the Habs caught some teams by surprise. If they keep winning, the element of surprise will quickly fade.

November poses a much tougher slate, including games against many of the beasts of the East and a week-long western road trip thrown in for good measure. Moustache month will be the first real test of this young team’s mettle.

If Montreal can just play .500 hockey through November, there may be light at the end of the tunnel as December promises a shorter, easier schedule and hopefully the healthy return of Shea Weber.

Omar White: The easiest and most widely used answer to this question is: yes, I’m thoroughly impressed with the Montreal Canadiens. Their approach to the season is different as Claude Julien, and the rest of the coaching staff have identified a common strength within the lineup and made efforts to bring it out the most. That being team speed.

But it’s more than telling the players to skate as hard as you can. They transition the puck with speed; they enter the zone with speed, the d-men are playing a lot more aggressive and getting back in position in time to prevent off-man rushes. However, it also comes down to more awareness on the ice and the fact that they’re converting on their scoring chances which were something the Habs had little of last season.

It hasn’t been perfect. There are games like what we saw against the Dallas Stars where miscues and breakdowns put Carey Price in a bad position, and a goal is scored. But overall, the Habs look dialled in and focused.

It’s still too early though to say whether they’re a lock for the playoffs despite the fact that the legendary US Thanksgiving milestone is in four weeks.

Now there’s a small deep thought that is also not surprised by how the Montreal Canadiens have looked. Many on the team had something to prove, and that includes the newcomers. Tatar had a bad stint in Vegas, Domi couldn’t get his scoring touch back from his rookie season, and Armia was confined to a bottom-six role in Winnipeg.

I don’t think the Habs will stray from how they’ve played. But I also don’t know for sure whether they can continue scoring at this rate and time of games. It’ll be an interesting story to follow though.