Guy Carbonneau was back for a second year at the helm of the Canadiens and vowed to offer an ultra offensive spectacle. The team did just that finishing first in the league in goals for with 262. Alex Kovalev contributed to 35 of those goals, leading the team in virtually every offensive category, while Tomas Plekanec (29), Christopher Higgins (27), and Andrei Kostitsyn (26) were the main firepower for the Canadiens that season.
A 20 year old rookie named Carey Price stole the goaltending job from Cristobal Huet, who was ultimately traded to the Washington Capitals for a 2nd round pick. Price would finish the year with a 40-24-12 record with a 2.56 GAA and a .920 save percentage. His backup that year ended up being sophomore 22 year old Jaroslav Halak.
The Canadiens powered their way through the league and finished the year with 104 points to win the division. They finished 3rd in the league in points behind the Detroit Red Wings (115) and San Jose Sharks (108).
The season also saw Alexander Ovechkin have the best season of his career as he scored 65 goals along with 47 assists for 112 points. He would win the Hart Trophy as the league MVP as well as his first of 9 Maurice “Rocket” Richard trophies.
Martin Brodeur would also win his 4th and final Vezina trophy, marking it the 3rd year in a row he would win the illustrious goaltending award.