Tiebreaker: The CH has already put itself at a major disadvantage in the standings

Félix Forget
Tiebreaker: The CH has already put itself at a major disadvantage in the standings
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

The Canadiens have played eight games since the start of the 2026–27 season. So far, the team has a record of 4–3–1, which isn't bad.

It's still extremely early in the season, of course. But for a team dealing with injuries and still ironing out some kinks, that's a more than respectable record.

That said, there is still a trend that, in fact, is a bit concerning: the Habs are having a really hard time winning in regulation. Of their four wins, only one came in 60 minutes.

We're talking about the game against the Maple Leafs… which was the very first of the season.

Phillip Danault is right when he says the Habs are going to have to learn how to win in regulation. The team often squanders leads, which means they frequently find themselves having to win in overtime.

You might say that a win, whether in regulation or overtime, is worth two points in the standings. And you're not wrong… except that winning in 60 minutes is, in reality, more valuable.

Remember that one of the main tiebreakers in the standings is based on regulation-time wins. And right now, no team in the East has fewer regulation-time wins than the Habs this season.

(Credit: Screenshot/NHL.com)

Last year, the Canadiens finished third in their division even though they had the same number of points as the Lightning—106. The reason was quite simple: the Habs had only 34 regulation-time wins in 2025–26, which allowed the Lightning (who had 40) to finish ahead of the Habs in the standings.

We can all agree that if the Habs are going to play overtime anyway, they might as well earn the second point. But ideally, the team would start winning a little more often in regulation to give themselves a chance at a tiebreaker in their favor.

That's what could make the difference between having home-ice advantage in the playoffs or not, after all—even if naysayers will point out that the Habs struggled mightily to win at the Bell Centre during the last playoffs.


In a Nutshell

– Note.

– A strong start to the season for Mikhail Sergachev.

– Makes sense.

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