If I had been told two months ago that CH would be in the top-8 in the East on January 7, I admit that I would have had difficulty believing it. Heavy defeats were relatively frequent at that time… and the club did not look like a team in the mix.
That said, with a victory against the Canucks last night, the Habs are currently in the playoff picture. There’s still a lot of hockey left to play, but we’re really talking about a transformed team.
Obviously, we talk a lot about the club’s big streak since the return of Patrik Laine and the arrival of Alexandre Carrier. On the other hand, in November, the Canadian was already starting to win a little more…until it becomes dominant in December.
But all this means that when we look at the team’s numbers for two months (since November 10, more precisely, when it was alone in last place in the NHL), we see that the CH has a record of 15-9-1. So that means he collected 62% of the possible points on the table…
And as Arpon Basu notes, that puts the team third in the East. Only the Maple Leafs and the Capitals are ahead of Martin St-Louis’ squad.
This means that for two months, the CH has not been just a good team : he is squarely part of the Eastern elite. The Panthers, the Devils, the Hurricanes and so on: they all have a lower percentage of points than the Habs since November 10.
Note also that in the entire NHL, there are only six teams that have won more games than the CH since November 10.
Obviously, we can wonder if the CH will be able to keep up the pace. The team’s depth isn’t great beyond the regular 20 players, so a long-term injury to an important player could be problematic for a machine that, at the moment, is well-oiled.
But for the moment, fans are right to appreciate their club’s success: CH is playing like a team that is not only in the mix, but has been wreaking serious havoc for two months.
It’s not for nothing that “Martin St-Louis” quietly begins to rhyme with “Jack Adams candidate”…
In burst
– This trio plays big hockey.
– Effectively.
– Dan Bylsma doesn’t like the criticism leveled at Pride jerseys. [Hockey Feed]
– The guys in the CH locker room believe in themselves.
