Montreal Canadiens – By The Numbers – February

Welcome back to “By the Numbers,” our monthly series detailing how the previous month went for the Montreal Canadiens. Today, we’re looking at the shortened month of February, which began with the All-Star Break and ended with the Canadiens finishing 6-3, perhaps their best month of the season.

After a rough month of December, the Canadiens needed a bounce back heading into January. And bounce back they did, carrying positive momentum into the All-Star Break. February became about keeping that positive momentum, using the time off to their advantage. In an admittedly smaller sample size, the Canadiens were firing on all cylinders for most of the month, evident both in the win column and the stat sheet. And the short sample size goes both ways, as despite only playing in nine games, they matched their season high for wins in a month with six.

While the 6-3 record is nice, it’s only the by-product of more positive developments that become evident when examining the numbers. For instance, the Canadiens best month was previously October, when they went 5-4, had a GF% of exactly 50%, and averaged three goals a game. The Canadiens reached that plateau for just the second time in February, averaging 3.6 goals a game while only giving up 2.9 goals per game, their lowest rate this season.

The Habs also had their highest xGF% of the season, at 45.73%, a number you would still like to see higher, but an improvement nonetheless. Remember, xGF% is essentially a measure of scoring chances, with 50% being the baseline. So, while 45.73% is an improvement, it is still not where you would want it to be. But with the Canadiens’ roster quality, even when fully healthy, that’s where you might expect them to be.  The hope is with time, as more talent arrives, that number will continue to grow.

Are These Numbers Encouraging? 

This isn’t a playoff team, so if that’s the goal, then no, these numbers would be pretty underwhelming. They pale in comparison to what the Devils and Bruins of the NHL are doing. Fortunately, for many reasons, the goal is not to be a playoff team just yet. Instead, it’s about positive development, and the Habs have shown that over the last few weeks, with February being a good example of that. The team is incredibly injured, but they have shown resilience and determination. You can tell the team is feeling good about it too.

These numbers don’t jump off the page as anything overly special, but I look back at December, particularly the end of that month. The Canadiens were playing terribly, getting blown out on several occasions. They had every reason to roll over and collapse further, but they didn’t. Now, they’re here, bringing their all every night, perhaps using these games as learning experiences. I think about how this could help a young leader like Nick Suzuki, who’s continuing to learn what it takes to win in the NHL. I have to imagine going through what this team has gone through will help him become a better leader down the road. And I would have to think the same applies to Martin St. Louis, a seasoned NHL vet but a relatively raw head coach.

As we continue to monitor the progress from month to month, I’ll be curious to see what improves and what the Habs need to continue to work on. For instance, Montreal was much better offensively this month, but they could stand to do more to limit scoring chances and lighten their goalies’ workload. All in all, February was a good month, one that the Canadiens would like to replicate in March, but there is still room for improvement. All you can ask as a fan is that there is some, as we have seen over the last two months.

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