Game 40: Montreal Canadiens vs. Vancouver Canucks
Start time: 7:30 PM EST / 4:30 PM PST
In the Canadiens region: RDS (French)
Streaming: Prime Video (CAN), ESPN+ (USA)
If I had told you before the Montreal Canadiens headed off on their annual holiday road trip that they would lose the game to the Chicago Blackhawks, you’d think a disastrous five-game stretch was in store. If I had told you that game versus the league-worst Blackhawks was the only game they were going to lose while also facing the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights, and Colorado Avalanche, you’d probably have reached out to other members of the EOTP staff to ask if I’d been acting strange lately.
Yet that’s exactly how the trip played out. One that is always difficult and usually comes with a losing record actually saw the Habs make up ground in the playoff race. When they flew to Florida after Christmas, they were one point clear of the bottom spot in the Eastern Conference. Now they have a .500 record and sit two points back of the final spot in the wild-card race.
The Canadiens were far from just scraping by on the trip; they won the expected-goal battle in the final four games they played. In total, their five-on-five expected-goal score over the five matches totaled 11.66 to 9.55, still coming out on top if you factor out the game in Chicago. A Canadiens team that currently ranks as the second youngest in the league proved to itself that there’s no team it can’t beat, and the hopes for the second half of the season should no longer be limited to just a wild-card position.
| Canadiens | Statistics | Canucks |
|---|---|---|
| 18-18-3 | Record | 18-12-8 |
| 48.3% (25th) | Scoring-chances-for % | 49.6% (17th) |
| 2.95 (19th) | Goals per game | 3.03 (14th) |
| 3.36 (26th) | Goals against per game | 3.16 (23rd) |
| 21.2% (17th) | PP% | 22.4% (14th0 |
| 82.4% (9th) | PK% | 81.3% (13th) |
| 0-2-0 | Head-to-Head Record (23-24) | 2-0-0 |
It’s another team currently holding a playoff spot that awaits the Canadiens for their first game at the Bell Centre since December 21. The Vancouver Canucks are six games above .500 and trying to make the playoffs for the second consecutive season after a three-year absence. They aren’t at their best at the moment however, winning just two of their past eight games, and one since the break.
Part of that funk is a rift between star forwards Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller that became public a few weeks ago and doesn’t appear to be mediatable. The most recent report has general manager Patrik Allvin considering a trade of one or possibly both of the players. They joined Quinn Hughes in the top three in Canucks scoring a year ago, and Allvin won’t have the upper hand in any negotiations with everyone knowing how untenable the situation has become.
As for on-ice play, Thatcher Demko is having trouble staying in the crease after missing the first third of the season with a knee injury. The reason for his most recent exit was reportedly back spasms, and the team desperately hopes that will be the end of any ailments to its star goalie for the rest of the season. But Kevin Lankinen has done more than could have been expected of him when he was signed on September 21. He has a .908 save percentage and a 15-7-4 record, so none of the team’s current woes can be placed on him.
With two all-star players taken off their game, it should be no surprise that the offence has suffered. On December 16, their season average was 3.20 goals scored per game, In the eight games since, that is down to 2.38, nearly a full goal less and the fourth-lowest mark in that time, and that’s despite scoring four goals versus the likes of the San Jose Sharks and Seattle Kraken (twice) in that span. In this same time period, Montreal is fourth-best, at 3.78.
Some more favourable results on yesterday’s NHL schedule saw several teams in the playoff chase lose their games. The Canadiens can once again move up in the standings, and a win propels them past three teams into a post-season position. That would be a nice final reward from this turn-of-the-year stretch before a deserved three-day break.
