HabsWorld.net -- 




1st Star

The votes are in, and the HabsWorld readers have chosen
the HW 3 Stars for October.  With a strong record to start the season,
there were many candidates to choose from, but our readers were quite clear as
to who deserved special recognition for the month.
 

1st Star Carey Price 11 GP – 6 W – 5 L – 2.02 GAA –
0.939 SV%

Given that it is an Olympic year, it should come as no surprise that
Price’s season began in an impressive fashion.  Although last year
began similarly, Price’s collapse at the
season’s end and ensuing playoffs were well-documented, and GM Marc Bergevin
sought help in goaltending coach Stephane Waite. Under his tutelage,
Price flourished in October, and signs of his struggles from last year
seem long forgotten.  Gone were the somewhat consistent "soft"
goals, as Price regularly made big saves and gave his team the
opportunity to win each and every game.
 



41%

★★


21%

★★★


16%
 

 

2nd Star P.K. Subban 13 GP – 2 G – 9 A – 11 P – +4
Rating

P.K. Subban began the season by defending his Norris Trophy in a
spectacular manner.  His 11 points tied him for the team lead, as
did his 5 powerplay points, and his 9 assists bested runner-up Alex
Galchenyuk in that category by 2.  Subban trailed only Brendan
Gallagher in shots on net (41 to 36), as he was a consistent offensive
force all month long.  Even though P.K. demonstrated a new overall maturity to his game – he seemed take less risks and take himself out of
position – he could still be counted on to take the game into his own
hands and manufacture chances when goals were needed.
 



17%

★★


33
%

★★★


17%
 

 

3rd Star Tomas Plekanec 13 GP – 6 G – 5 A – 11 P – +4
Rating

Ever the model of consistency, Tomas Plekanec enjoyed another successful
month contributing in every conceivable manner.  From the
penalty-kill, to the powerplay, to playing tough even-strength minutes
against the opposition’s finest, Plekanec is truly the glue that keeps
the Canadiens together.  Gelling well with new linemate, Michael
Bournival and his mainstay, Brian Gionta, Plekanec led the team in goals
and game-winning goals.  With Lars Eller and Alex Galchenyuk’s
games rapidly improving, Plekanec may feel his position at the team’s
top pivot in danger; given his results in October, it seems that he
may thrive under that pressure.
 



24
%

★★


17
%

★★★


28
%
 

 

HM Lars Eller 13 GP – 5 G – 4 A – 9 P – +4
Rating

With his hot start to the month of October, many thought that Lars Eller
has supplanted Tomas Plekanec as the team’s top centre.  Buoyed by
the addition of significant muscle, the stronger Eller dominated the
opposition early on before teams began to catch on that Eller 2.0 was a
force to be reckoned with.  Building on last year’s chemistry with
Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk, Eller provided the Canadiens with
some much-needed scoring depth, and his 9 points tied him for second in
team scoring.  Many had concerns for Eller after last year’s
gruesome injury, but he returned to action healthy and more physical than ever, and
his 28 hits led the team in that category.
 



10%

★★


16
%

★★★


12%
 


Thanks to all that voted, and be sure to check in for next month’s HW 3 Stars.