THE Montreal Canadiens had played 57 games before the NHL entered its Olympic pause, leaving him with 25 games remaining in the regular season. 13 of the remaining 25 games will be played at home, where the Habs have a record of 16-11-1, a goal differential of plus three, a success rate of 18.9% on the power play and an success rate of 81% on the penalty kill. Meanwhile, they are 16-6-7 away from the Bell Center with a plus-11 goal differential, and their power play efficiency is 28.1%, while their penalty kill efficiency is just 73.5%.
Of course, with so little time until the end of the season, the schedule will be busy, featuring three weeks of four games, including four in a row. 11 of the 25 games will be against teams currently in playoff position, and 14 games will be against teams currently on the outside looking in. This isn’t necessarily good news, as some of these teams will be fighting desperately to get in, but on the other hand, there may be a few who have already given up.
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The Canadiens currently sit second in the Atlantic Division, six points behind Tampa Bay Lightningwho have been on fire as of late, winning their last five games and going 8-1-1 in their last 10. Jon Cooper’s men appear to be on their way to a division championship, and Martin St-Louis and co. will face them twice before the end of the season, it’s not an easy task.
Montreal will also have to face the Carolina Hurricanes twice before the end of the season. Rod Brind’Amour’s team is currently first in the Metropolitan Division, has won its last three games and is 8-0-2 in its last 10 games, and has not lost in regulation since January 13.
Just like last season, the Columbus Blue Jackets are fighting for survival, and they were on a roll before the break. They have won their last seven games and are 9-0-1 in their last 10. They’re four points out of the playoffs as we speak, but they have a game in hand in the standings. Boston Bruins. Will they stay warm long enough? Either way, this is another team Montreal will have to face twice before the end of the regular season.
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However, there is one team that they will have to face three times: that of Patrick Roy. New York Islanders. The Isles currently sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division and have won their last two matches. They will visit the Canadiens on February 26 when they return from Montreal, and it will be crucial for the Habs to pick up where they left off.
The Habs have done very well so far this season, but the road ahead is difficult, and they will need to be even better if they want to book their playoff spot well before the end of the season.
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