At the end of training camp, the Habs tried to sneak winger Samuel Blais through waivers but were unsuccessful, losing him to Toronto. However, on Thursday, he rejoined the Canadiens after they claimed him off waivers from the Maple Leafs.
Montreal’s second period on Wednesday in Utah was a problem as they allowed three goals. However, they managed a pair of goals in the first and third periods, allowing them to start their Western road trip on a winning note.
While the Habs had a solid game on Saturday, their play in previous weeks has been concerning. Instead of being in a battle for top spot in the division, they’re out of the playoffs with key injuries mounting.
While there are still a lot of questions surrounding the Canadiens right now, they managed a respectable week in the standings with three points in three games to stay in the mix in a very tight Atlantic Division.
With the Habs set to head out on a West Coast road trip, they have added some reinforcements. The team announced Sunday that they’ve signed forward Alexandre Texier to a one-year deal and recalled defenceman Adam Engstrom from Laval.
After a tough loss against Washington, the Habs rebounded on Saturday against Toronto in Florian Xhekaj’s NHL debut. Montreal scored the first four goals of the game and that was enough to carry them to the eventual 5-2 victory.
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.
Having lost four straight, the Habs looked to get back in the win column on Thursday as they hosted Washington. Instead, the goalie struggles continued as the Capitals lit them up for eight, doubling up the Canadiens 8-4.
The Habs found themselves down by two in the third period on Monday but were able to stage a comeback to get to overtime. They controlled the play in the extra session but couldn’t score and then in the shootout, the Blue Jackets scored twice on three shots to give them the 4-3 win.
Home ice was not kind to the Habs this past week. They lost all three games including two in blowout fashion and to make matters worse, they got bad injury news on three key players.