The past 10 games or so, entering roughly the midpoint of the season, has seemingly changed the discussion (and expectations) for the Montreal Canadiens. They have gone 7-1-2 over that stretch and just moved past the Tampa Bay Lightning for first in the Atlantic Division.
It certainly hasn't been easy for the Canadiens to get to this point, as they have had to deal with a number of injuries along the way, but have made some key additions, along with unexpected performances from some of their younger players, to end up where they are. While they should feel confident where they are currently, there are a number of questions entering the second half of the regular season.
Can the Canadiens trust their goaltending moving forward?
There might not be a bigger and crucial question than this one for the Montreal Canadiens. If there is anything that can derail what has the potential to be a special season, it is their goaltending.
Entering the season, Sam Montembeault was expected to be the primary starter and build off a career season where he had a save percentage of .901 and a goals against average of 2.82. He got off to a rocky start, and over his first 13 games, he went 5-5-1 but allowed 41 goals and had a save percentage below .875.
He has certainly been better as of late, as he has allowed only seven goals over his past three starts while stopping 77 of 84 shots for a save percentage of .917.
In addition to Montembeault playing better, the Canadiens called up Jacob Fowler, and he has appeared in eight games this season and has a goals against average of 2.37 with a save percentage of .912. However, this is the former third-round pick's first run in the NHL, and there is no guarantee he can continue this strong play.
Do the Canadiens need to make a big splash at the trade deadline?
This is something that any potential playoff contender is probably asking themselves at this point as they try to evaluate their roster. The margin of error in the Eastern Conference is very small, and while the Canadiens are currently in first place in the division, they are only six points ahead of the Buffalo Sabres, who are currently in the final Wild Card spot.
The Canadiens have certainly shown they are not afraid to make a deal to address a need, as they did a few weeks ago in the trade for Philip Danault. However, it remains to be seen what they need and what is out there.
There have been rumors that Blake Coleman could be at the top of the Canadiens' list, and that would be a move that makes sense. However, with recent performances by Alexandre Texier and the eventual return of players like Jake Evans and Kirby Bach, where would a forward fit in the lines?
One area they may end up wanting to be aggressive is at goalie, but again, if Montembeault and Fowler are playing great heading into the Olympic Break, that might not even be a need for this team.
Can they fix their penalty kill?
The Montreal Canadiens are one of the top scoring teams in the NHL as they are tied for fourth in the league at 3.29 goals per game. In addition to the goaltending, one other aspect that could derail their playoff chances in the second half of the season is their penalty kill.
Currently, the Canadiens are 20th in the league in penalty kill percentage at 78.7%, but have allowed the ninth most power play goals at 30. They are on pace to allow 56 power play goals, which would be about 10% increase from what they gave up last season.
They are missing two big pieces from last season's penalty kill in Joel Armia and Jake Evans. While Armia left in free agency to join the Los Angeles Kings this past summer, Evans hopefully will be back soon. He suffered a knee injury that was expected to keep him out for four to six weeks, but he was back on the ice this week.
Evans' return should help, but this is another area the Canadiens might focus on heading into the trade deadline to hopefully improve.