For the second straight year, Montreal’s holiday road trip has allowed them to gain some ground in the standings, allowing them to keep pace in the Atlantic Division.

Montreal’s save percentage is starting to tick up with Jacob Fowler’s strong showing but that wasn’t the only reason that the Habs have done better in recent weeks.

Montreal’s recent five-game stretch had another ugly performance in there but there were several numbers that have things pointing in the right direction for the Habs.

As we pass the one-quarter mark of the season, some of Montreal’s early-season variances have started to become more of a consistent pattern. Some of that is good, some of it, not so much.

The fourth segment of games for the Habs this season wasn’t pretty. However, there are some numbers from this stretch that suggest better things could soon be on the horizon for Montreal.

As the Habs passed through their third five-game segment of the season, there are some strong individual performances that stand out but is a league-high shooting percentage sustainable the rest of the way?

For years, the hope in Montreal’s rebuild was that they’d continue to add high-end offensive pieces to their roster. In Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov, there are some early justifiable comparisons to a pair of star players, one active and one retired.

The Habs are certainly off to a strong start to their season as one of the top-scoring teams in the league. On the other hand, the stats through their first ten games show that their defence is still very much a work in progress.