Montreal Canadiens: Why It Is Too Early To Press The Panic Button

The Montreal Canadiens are in a horrible tailspin. Their last two losses were nothing short of ugly. However, it is a little early to press the panic button on the 2019-20 season.

The Montreal Canadiens have placed their fans on quite the roller coaster ride already this season. They started out with several late comebacks that turned third period deficits into points in the standings. This left us wondering just how good this team really is. They could score, but could they string a few wins together without furious comebacks?

They proved in their next nine games that they can. They went on a 7-1-1 streak that shot them near the top of the Eastern Conference standings. The only teams ahead of them were the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals and the Habs had defeated both of them. This run had them looking like a true playoff team and a threat in the Eastern Conference.

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Then, everything fell apart. It all started with a 4-3 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils. They were a controversial no goal call away from winning that game late in the third period so it didn’t really raise any red flags. This game was the day after a big 5-2 win over the Capitals and they did grab a point so it wasn’t a big deal.

Their 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets was a bit more concerning. They held a 2-1 lead in the second period, but allowed the Blue Jackets to score four unanswered goals to run away with things in the third period. One night later the Habs returned home and lost 2-1 in overtime to the Ottawa Senators.

None of those three games were overly concerning on their own. The Habs played well against the Devils and Blue Jackets and had chances to win the game against the Senators. The big concern came in their last two games.

The Canadiens started out fine against the New York Rangers on Saturday night. They had a 4-0 lead early in the second period which is a lead that a team can usually keep even if they are in cruise control for the remainder of the game. The Habs did not hang onto their lead and couldn’t even get a single point for losing in overtime. They left the Bell Centre that night embarrassed after a 4-0 lead turned into a 6-5 loss.

It was hoped that the Canadiens would bounce back in their next game which was at home to the Boston Bruins. That wasn’t the case as the Habs were thoroughly dismantled by the Bruins. Their 8-1 loss means the Habs have been outscored 14-2 since taking a commanding lead against the Rangers .

That is about as low as it can get. Being embarrassed by a couple of original six teams on your home ice in consecutive games is pretty much rock bottom. However, it is a bit early to draw any conclusions about the 2019-20 Montreal Canadiens. We can’t hit the panic button quite yet.

We have to remember that the Habs still have 27 points in 24 games with their 11-8-5 record. This has them on pace to be a bit behind last season, but they actually have the same record they had a year ago after 24 games. We still have 58 games to play and it wasn’t so long ago this team was on a nine game run that had them among the top teams in their conference.

What is a more likely predictor of the future, the Habs first 19 games where they had a record of 11-5-3 or the last five games where they have gone 0-3-2? What’s a better sample size, 19 or five? I think we all know the answer.

This team is far from perfect, but they had the record of an elite team after 19 games, then went 0-1-2 in three games where they actually played fine and could have won twice, followed by two awful games.

We seem to be really focused on the last two games and completely forgetting the first 22 where the Canadiens were 11-6-5 and on pace for more than 100 points on the season. They lost a few games in a row that they deserved a better fate against the Blue Jackets, Devils and Senators and then had two brutal games.

I think it is far too early to write this team off or call for them to tank the season or expect the losing to continue for a lengthy stretch. The Canadiens proved in their first 22 games they are either a good or great team. Don’t be so pessimistic that two bad games can let you forget how good they really are.