Hockey

The Canadiens are (damn) better than they were at this point last year
Maxime Truman
The Canadiens are (damn) better than they were at this point last year
Credit: Getty Images

Talk about a weird start to the NHL season. Take the Canadiens, for example: they've suffered five thaws in front of their fans in less than a month, in addition to getting slaughtered in Colorado, but they've also managed to beat several top teams like the Oilers just last night.

Parity is at an all-time high in the Bettman circuit.

And it's especially true in the East!

On any given day, a team can be sitting at the top of the Atlantic Division, and the next day, no longer be one of the eight best teams in the East.

Can't get enough? Currently, all 16 teams in the Eastern Conference are playing for .500 or more. #Parity

(Credit: NHL.com)

The gap between the first and last teams in the East is only 12 points. After 30+ games, not after 10 or 15!

So it's easy to understand why no team has yet officially declared itself a seller in the East. In the West, the Avalanche sit atop the standings with 53 points, while the Canucks are dead last with 27. Hence the Quinn Hughes deal in Vancouver.

Look at the forest, not the tree
The Canadiens are 17-11-4 (.594) this morning, but have a negative differential of -8. Basically, this means the Habs are winning a lot of close games, but they're also accumulating varlops. When they lose a game, it's often a one-sided affair.

Let's just say we're a long way from the Avalanche's +54 differential.

Still, 17-11-4 is a good record for the NHL's youngest team. The day the Montrealers can beat the big, more experienced teams in the fortress that is the Bell Centre, the sky will be the limit.

At this time last year, the Habs were in last place in the East (and 30th overall in the NHL) with an 11-16-3 record. That's 13 points more than on the morning of December 15, 2024. #Improvement

I'll say it again: it doesn't always show, mainly because this year's defeats are too often stinging (and in front of the team's fans at the Bell Centre), but the Canadiens 2025-26 is well and truly better than the Canadiens 2024-25. Even with several players sidelined and goalkeepers who lack a great deal of consistency. You know, none of the team's three goalies has posted an efficiency percentage of .900 or higher since the start of the season.

(Credit: NHL.com)

Martin St-Louis, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky have all talked about the importance of getting the season off to a good start this year, and for the most part, they've succeeded. The task now is to remain competitive as the pace of the league increases from week to week between now and the end of the season.

Hopefully, Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton will be able to add some muscle and experience to the group, but that's another matter.


overtime

– What do you think?

– Mariah Carey to sing at the Olympics. [JdeM]

– What are the Mets playing at?

– Names to keep in mind.

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