Montreal Canadiens: Recent Losing Streak Not Nearly as Bad as it Seems

The Montreal Canadiens have done a lot of losing lately. There is no question about that.

However, their recent record is not nearly as bad as it seems. It was bad enough to get head coach Claude Julien and assistant coach Kirk Muller and goaltender coach Stephane Waite fired.

But a closer look at their recent record suggests they aren’t really mired in a losing streak, they just can’t play hockey at 3 on 3.

The Canadiens have won just two of their last eight games and three of their last ten games. That’s not good, it’s not good at all. However, thanks to the odd standings that the NHL uses that rewards teams for almost winning, the Habs have been putting plenty of points in the bank.

In their past eight games, they have only won two, but five of their six losses are in overtime or the shootout. That means they have added points in seven of their last eight games.

So, they are on a bit of a losing skid, but at the same time they are also on a bit of a points streak.

Only losing two of their past ten in regulation is key. Yes, they struggled during this stretch but they continue to pile up points and are third in the North Division in points percentage. A big reason for that is their great start to the season, but their 3-2-5 record in their past ten hasn’t been that bad.

That’s 11 points in ten games during a lousy stretch. Over a full 82 game season, averaging 11 points in ten games would give a team 92 at season’s end. That puts them in a battle for a wildcard spot that goes down to the wire.

Now, obviously the Habs can’t continue to bank on overtime points getting them into the postseason. But it is encouraging that even when they aren’t playing their best, they are adding points in the standings.

When the team struggled last season, they had eight game stretches where they went 0-5-3 and 0-7-1. Their last eight games this season has been a difficult stretch but they have gone 2-1-5 and found a way to add nine points in eight games while not playing great hockey.

This dreary funk needs to end soon, but it is encouraging that even when us fans think they are playing awful, they are scratching and clawing their way to a few points and are not far back of the second highest points percentage in the division.