The Montreal Canadiens entered the 2021-22 season with high hopes after making a run to the Stanley Cup Final last season.
A busy, and at times head-scratching offseason left the Canadiens with a promising looking roster. The additions of Mike Hoffman, Christian Dvorak and first full season of Cole Caufield looked like it would give the Habs a high scoring lineup.
It has only been two games, but that hasn’t been the case.
The Canadiens fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 on opening night with Jonathan Drouin scoring the lone goal. A night later, they faced the Buffalo Sabres who are projected to be one of the worst NHL teams in recent memory. They didn’t look that way in their home opener as they easily cruised past the Canadiens with a 5-1 victory.
It was defenceman Chris Wideman who scored the Canadiens tally.
Having just two goals and two losses in two games played was not what the Habs hoped for to begin this season. The loss to the Sabres was so bad, it has some fans writing off the Habs hopes after just a pair of games.
That’s a bit premature. Even though the Habs have not looked great in their two contests so far, there are plenty of reasons for optimism around this team. Let’s take a look at the three biggest reasons to remain hopeful that the Canadiens can have a great season.