The Montreal Canadiens have been playing great hockey and have now won their last five games. What makes this streak even more remarkable is that they have done it without both Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov, arguably two of their more important players on the roster.
After their 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, Josh Anderson was asked if there is a common thread through this stretch of games. "Well, we obviously have some big pieces out of our lineup right now. I think that it's a next-man-up mentality, and I think we're playing really well as a team right now. Obviously, we miss those guys, but guys are stepping up big time to help us get through this."
There is no question that it was going to be a team effort and not just one individual player who could replace Suzuki or Demidov on their own. However, the Canadiens have taken it a step further with this incredible stat during the five-game stretch.
Every Montreal Canadiens' player has at least one point during this win streak
Over the last five games, there have been 20 skaters who have played at least one game, and every player during this stretch has at least one point. Surprisingly, Jake Evans is leading the team with five points, followed by Phillip Danault, Cole Caufield, and Lane Hutson with four each.
At the bottom of the list, there are four players with one point and that group includes Zachary Bolduc, Oliver Kapanen, Arber Xhekaj and Adam Engstrom. Even Owen Beck, who has played in only two of these games, has two points during this stretch.
It has certainly been a team effort, but it also highlights how deep not only the roster is but the prospect pipeline that Montreal has. The way players like Beck, Engstrom, and Florian Xhekaj (who has two points in the last four games) can step into the lineup due to injuries and have an immediate impact is impressive and a huge advantage for the Canadiens, as this almost certainly won't be the last time they will have to deal with an injury to a key player.
The good news is that the Canadiens may not have to go too much longer without key players like Suzuki, who was at practice on Sunday, and Demidov, who was seen without a walking boot. However, if they do need to go a little bit longer the Canadiens have shown they can still be very successful in the interim.
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