With a chance to extend their longest winning streak of the season on Monday night, the Montreal Canadiens were in Ohio to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets. While a rough first period put them in a two-goal deficit, they played the next 40 minutes well enough to make it a close game, and perhaps with a little more puck luck, they’d have gotten their four-game win streak before the Christmas break.
Notwithstanding the loss, the team has been playing much improved hockey over this last stretch, giving some hope that they can keep it going after their break.
At this point, it sure looked like they were about to get that fourth straight win. A couple of mistakes later and it was the Blue Jackets giving their fans an early Christmas gift. Still, the Habs played well enough to earn a win, and if you were to simulate that game with the same output from each team 10 times, the Habs probably emerge with more wins than losses. It was a solid overall effort from them, and this to continue a string of games where they’ve looked like a much more competent hockey team than we’re accustomed to seeing.
Strength of schedule is something to consider, however. A win over Buffalo, and two over Detroit – teams that don’t exactly have wonderful odds of making the playoffs – don’t give one much to write home about, at least on the surface. But the important thing for the Habs isn’t their record, it’s the brand of hockey they’re playing, which has been better overall in the month of December than the first two months of the season.
Win or lose, if they can keep playing games like this on the other side of the break, and into the new year, it bodes well for team morale and the rebuild as a whole. Games like that look like a team that would win pretty easily with a bit more skill, which we know is on the way.
A win would have been a nice gift for the fan base, but them continuing to play well as a team is a gift that would keep on giving.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you usually get your podcasts. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, and we’ll be back on the 28th when the Habs will be in Florida to take on the division-leading Panthers.
