The Canadiens have as many wins as the Islanders this season

Today, the Canadiens have the day off. Normally, it’s Sunday, but not this week. Yesterday, the Habs trained.

Clearly, Martin St-Louis decided to give his flock the day off before starting what will not be an easy period for the club. After all, this week, a “three-in-four” awaits the club.

And what about next week? Following the game against the Coyotes, it’s the start of a four-game road trip, ending just before the trade deadline, scheduled for March 8.

That leaves just two games at home before the deadline.

This means that, without practice, we won’t be able to see today if Jordan Harris is still progressing. We’ll have to wait until tomorrow… and we’ll surely have to wait until Wednesday to see if he’ll return to action.

This also means that the 22-25-8 record will remain unchanged for the next few days. Tomorrow morning, for example, the Habs will also wake up with a record of 22 wins this season.

And in that respect, they’ll be right up there with the Islanders, who won’t be playing tonight.

Because yes, Patrick Roy’s Islanders only have 22 wins this season. In the East, only the Blue Jackets (who recently fired their GM) have fewer wins than the New York Islanders.

Note that the Habs and Senators, two clubs that aren’t thinking about the playoffs, are both at 22 wins. No one, however, has 14 overtime losses like the Islanders, which keeps them in the hunt.

As you can see, the Islanders are currently four points out of the playoffs. It’s really not impossible to achieve, we’ll all agree on that.

But when Patrick Roy arrived (to save the club’s season), the Islanders were two points out of the playoffs.

In fact, since Roy’s arrival, the club has corrected some shortcomings, but still has a 3-3-3 record. The club is playing for .500 in nine games, which isn’t enough to make the playoffs.

But there is also growing criticism of Patrick Roy, whose effect on the Islanders has not been as strong as some people thought.

Yesterday’s away game is a case in point. After all, the club has trouble on the short-handed, and that’s exactly what hurt the Islanders in the Stadium Series game.

Leading 5-3 with five minutes left in the game, getting two shorthanded goals and losing in overtime shows that the shorthanded unit didn’t work.

It also shows that the club, which is looking to be more intense under a coach who has no shortage of energy, needs to find the balance between being intense and being undisciplined.

We haven’t done that yet, and it’s costing us points in the standings.

Patrick Roy didn’t make the playoffs very often as an NHL coach (only in his first year in Denver) because he didn’t necessarily have a mandate to win right away. In New York, it’s different.

And that’s where it’s at. If he wants Lou Lamoriello to stay happy with his work, it’s going to take Ws… and it’s going to take an impact similar to the one created by his arrival in Colorado, in 2013-2014.

Breaking news

– Great read.

– Majestic.

– Nothing less.

– Michel Lacroix opens up. [JdeM]

– What will the Hurricanes do between now and March 8?

What’s the Hurricanes’ plan for the trade deadline? Catching up with GM Don Waddell. My latest for@TheAthletic https://t.co/Os7MFbDZmv

– Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 19, 2024