The Habs wrapped up their pre-Olympic portion of the schedule with a pair of road games against the Central. While they couldn’t snap their extra-long losing streak in Minnesota, it was still a successful week in the standings with Montreal picking up three of four points.
At the Olympic break, the Habs are well ahead of their points pace from last season, putting them in a good spot in the standings. Some of their underlying stats, however, are a little perplexing.
The Habs capped off their pre-Olympic schedule on Wednesday night in Winnipeg. While they trailed early, they bounced back nicely with five unanswered goals and 36 saves from Samuel Montembeault to hit the break with a 5-1 victory.
The Habs have made a roster move a little before the upcoming trade freeze. On Tuesday, they placed winger Samuel Blais on waivers for the purpose of assigning him to AHL Laval if he clears.
The Habs have struggled mightily in Minnesota in recent years. They weren’t able to snap their near-15-year losing streak on the road against the Wild but they were able to pick up a key point in the standings in a 4-3 overtime loss.
The Habs had a tough week on the schedule to close out the month of January. However, that didn’t matter as they played three strong games and came away with all three victories to move back into third place in the Atlantic Division.
After falling twice to the Sabres this month, the Habs got some revenge to end January. Cole Caufield scored twice in the third period to give Montreal the lead and they held on from there for the 4-2 win.
Topics in our latest podcast include Montreal’s decision to change goalie coaches, when Patrik Laine might return to the lineup, Cole Caufield’s quest for 50 goals, and much more.
Montreal’s final home game before the Olympic break was on Thursday as they hosted the top team in the NHL, the Colorado Avalanche. After the Avs put up seven on the Habs back in November, the Canadiens returned the favour, picking up the 7-3 win.
Goaltending has been an issue for the Habs this season and on Wednesday, the team has made a move to try to address it. The team announced that goalie coach Eric Raymond has been let go. Laval goalie coach Marco Marciano will fill the role for the rest of the season.