Montreal Canadiens: Looking to Continue Winning Ways After Long Road Trips

The Montreal Canadiens chase for the playoffs is officially in high gear. A big win over the Calgary Flames on Monday night gave their playoff chances a huge boost.

They are now four points up on the Flames and have one more game to play than the Flames before the end of the season. This improved the chances of the Habs grabbing the fourth and final playoff spot dramatically.

The Habs now return home to the Bell Centre after a 2-3-0 road trip to Alberta. That last win was huge since they had lost their previous two games in regulation to the Flames, giving Calgary hope before snatching it away.

Now, the Canadiens take on the Toronto Maple Leafs in their first game back from that road trip. There is a common belief around the hockey world that the first game back from a road trip is a tough one for the home team. They say it can be difficult to get up for a game after finally getting to enjoy the comforts of home again for the first time in a week or two.

The Canadiens certainly haven’t obeyed this old hockey saying this season.

While their overall record at the Bell Centre this season is a rather spotty 10-10-2, they have been great when returning home from a road trip.

It has only happened three times this season, but the Canadiens are yet to lose in regulation after a long road trip.

Their first road trip was the first six games of the season. They played in Toronto, Edmonton twice and three times in Vancouver before a game at the Bell Centre. When they finally played at home on January 28th, they soundly defeated the Calgary Flames. The final score was 4-2, but it was a 4-0 game late in the third period before a couple of buzzer beaters made it look closer.

Their next road trip was just four games in late February through Ottawa and Winnipeg. The Canadiens lost all four games, though three of them were in extra time. Upon returning home, they were able to beat the Sens 3-1 and get back into the win column.

The Canadiens most recent road trip came shortly after that, as they spun their way through Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg in the middle of March. They went 2-2-2 on that six game trip before returning home and taking on the Canucks at the Bell Centre. They would lose to the Canucks, but a last minute Nick Suzuki goal pushed the game to overtime, giving the Canadiens a point.

This improved their “first game back after a road trip” record to 2-0-1 on the season. They will look to improve that even more after a 2-3-0 swing through Edmonton and Calgary.

The first game back at home adage doesn’t have a lot of scientific research behind it, and it is one that the Canadiens have obviously tuned out this season. Hopefully it continues and the Habs trend of collecting points when they return to home ice is extended tonight against the Maple Leafs.