The Montreal Canadiens have done a good job of remaining in contention for the Atlantic Division as they are only three points back of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings. If they find a way to win the division, it would be the first time since 2016-17 that they have been able to accomplish that.
However, it won't be easy as they are not only chasing those two teams but have to stay ahead of the rest of the division, where there is only a 10-point difference from the Canadians to the last-place Senators at 51 points.
When looking at the roster, these are three players that the Canadiens are going to need to be better through the remainder of the regular season if they want to win the division and get back to the playoffs.
Sam Montembeault
The goalie position has been a pain point for the Montreal Canadiens almost all season, and due in large part to the inconsistent play of Sam Montembeault. Last season, he was a big reason for Montreal's return to the playoffs after he posted a career-best goals against average of 2.82.
This season, Montembeault has not been the same, with a goals against average of 3.44 and a career-worst save percentage of .873. He went on a conditioning stint in Laval in December and has been better since his return with a 4-0-1 record, but was lucky to get the win in his last outing as he allowed five goals on 34 shots.
The Canadiens desperately need consistency in net, and their best chance at that might have just been sent down to the AHL, but if they don't believe Jacob Fowler is the answer, then Montembeault has to be better in the second half of the season.
Zachary Bolduc
This is Zachary Bolduc's first season in Montreal after the St. Louis Blues traded the breakout rookie to the Canadiens for Logan Mallioux. Last season, Bolduc with the Blues had 19 goals and 17 assists in 72 games with a +/- of +20, and this season has 10 goals and eight assists with a +/- of -11 in 49 games.
In terms of goals per game and assists per game, Bolduc is on pace with what he did last season. However, the hope was that in his second season in the NHL, he wouldn't just match the totals he put up last season but surpass them.
The concern is that Bolduc is heading in the wrong direction, as he has had only one point in the past 12 games, with an assist against the Washington Capitals on January 13th. For the Canadiens, the good news is that they have gotten great production from Juraj Slafkovsky, Oliver Kapanen, and Ivan Demidov to give them the secondary scoring they needed.
That has taken some of the pressure off Bolduc, but with several players returning from injury, Bolduc's place in the lineup could be in jeopardy.
Brendan Gallagher
Last season, Brendan Gallagher had an impressive late-career season with 21 goals, the first time breaking 20 goals since the 2019-20 season. Unfortunately, it feels like it might be a one-season thing with only four goals through 49 games this season, and his shooting percentage is dropping almost 10 percentage points from 14.2% to 4.7%.
Gallagher falls into the same category as Bolduc in that the Canadiens have been fortunate that they haven't had to rely on his scoring with the emergence of other players. However, the difference is that Bolduc's line might change, while Gallagher is one that could be outside of the lineup entirely and be a healthy scratch.