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Montreal Canadiens: 7 Talking Points

By Sebastian High

MONTREAL, QC - OCTOBER 17: Cale Fleury #20 of the Montreal Canadiens skates against the Minnesota Wild during the third period at the Bell Centre on October 17, 2019 in Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - OCTOBER 17: Cale Fleury #20 of the Montreal Canadiens skates against the Minnesota Wild during the third period at the Bell Centre on October 17, 2019 in Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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MONTREAL, QC – JANUARY 28: Goaltenders Jake Allen #34 (L) and Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens (R) look on during the pre-game ceremony prior to the home opening game against the Calgary Flames at the Bell Centre on January 28, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Calgary Flames 4-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC – JANUARY 28: Goaltenders Jake Allen #34 (L) and Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens (R) look on during the pre-game ceremony prior to the home opening game against the Calgary Flames at the Bell Centre on January 28, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Calgary Flames 4-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

3. Tough Schedule

While Habs fans – myself included – are impatiently awaiting puck-drop on Saturday since the team has not played in a week, this will not be an issue going forward. The Canadiens will instead have an extremely gruelling schedule, so keeping players – and goaltenders especially – fresh will be of great importance.

The Habs will play their remaining 41 scheduled games in the span of just 78 days; that’s more than a game every two nights, there will certainly be plenty of hockey to watch. In this span, the team will have two days between games just twice and three days between games once, which falls in the final week of the season; all other games are separated by one day or by none. The team’s depth throughout the lineup and the rolling of forward lines and defensive pairings will be critical in avoiding exhaustion.

It is from this point onward that Marc Bergevin’s investment in Jake Allen will pay its dividends. There will 7 back-to-backs in the upcoming months and plenty more occasions where the team plays three games in five days. Don’t be too surprised if Price and Allen share the workload evenly between now and the trade deadline. Carey Price must remain fresh for this team to have a shot at a deep playoff run, and, so far at least, Jake Allen has been more than good enough in alleviating Price’s workload.

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