The Canadiens will celebrate Christmas in a very advantageous position in the standings

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
The Canadiens will celebrate Christmas in a very advantageous position in the standings
Credit: Getty Images

For the first time since 2016, the Canadiens have 20 wins before Christmas. Crazy, huh?

Of course, there was the pandemic and a rebuild to contend with. But despite everything, it's still a great record that shows the progression of the Canadiens.

Despite the ups and downs, the club took a step forward this year.

You can see it when you look at the standings. At present, the Canadiens are seventh in the NHL and fourth in the East. The Hurricanes and Red Wings are only two points ahead of the Habs.

Should Martin St-Louis' men eventually win the game in hand they have over the Red Wings, there would be a tie on points in the Atlantic.

Obviously, compared to last year, it's night and day. The Canadiens of 2024-2025 may have made the playoffs, but it took a huge late season to get there.

We remember how badly it started. And at this time last year, the Habs had just 31 points in 34 games.

This year, the Montreal club has 45 points in 37 games. The Olympic calendar means that more games have been played than at this time last year, but the points percentage doesn't lie.

A big .608 compared to a weak .456, it's night and day.

If the Canadiens keep up the momentum, they'll be fine. Phillip Danault will help stabilize the defense, and we'll see if additional reinforcement follows in the coming months.

We'll have to wait and see… but one thing's for sure: the forwards will have to keep producing if things are to go well.


overtime

– Makes sense.

– Ouch.

– This is a sign that it's Christmas: Darren Dreger retweets outdoor rinks.

facebook icon Share twitter icon Tweet linkedin icon Share
Copied!