The Canadian | How to Get Back in the Mix in Five Easy Steps

After 16 games, the Canadian comes last almost everywhere, in the Eastern Association but also in the general NHL rankings. Is it time to panic? No, because the Canadian can still, with a little luck, return to the mix. Here’s how.

1. Chain victories

Did we say it was going to be easy? No, and that’s a good thing, because it won’t be. But the clubs that find themselves in the series portrait are those that know how to accumulate winning streaks. This season, the Canadian has only been able to do better than two wins in a row once, which is quite similar to the previous season, when the club’s only good streak was three wins in a row at the end of the month. of March. The Canadian will be in Minnesota on Thursday night, which won’t be easy, but then he will face Columbus, Edmonton, Vegas, Utah, and Columbus again. Would it be too much to ask for four victories in these five games, including four which will be presented at the Bell Centre? There cannot be mix without winning streaks.

2. The best will have to be even better

There’s always a good time to bring out that horrible shot, and that good time is obviously now. The Canadian’s first trio (dismembered recently, but hey, we should see it again one day) has been roundly criticized, and yet, the figures tell us that Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky are each having a very good start to the season. With his 17 points, Suzuki is once again on pace for an 80-point season, after finishing the previous season with 77 points. Caufield already has 12 goals, and he should be able to break the 30-goal mark this season. Slafkovsky has had some problems, but here he is with 11 points in 13 games. It’s going to take these three to have a mix.

3. Goalkeepers will have to get their act together

Cayden Primeau has played in seven games this season, and he has allowed 5 or more goals three times. Samuel Montembeault took part in 12 games, and he has two matches with 5 goals or more on the clock. Very good teams can survive ordinary play in front of the net, but since it is already established that the Canadiens are not a very good team, the performance of the goaltenders is closely linked to any form of flirtation with the mix. Some are already calling for the recall of Jakub Dobes from Laval, which could of course happen, but in the immediate future, the Canadian must hope that Primeau and Montembeault will be able, at the very least, to return to the form they displayed at the beginning. last year.

4. It’s going to take Kirby Dach

To this end, Monday afternoon’s match in Buffalo could serve as a springboard; After 60 minutes of play against the Sabres, Dach concluded his day with two points, which represents for him his first game with at least two points this season. Is this a prelude to better days? It will be necessary, because this young attacker had to be the center of the second trio, and therefore offer the Canadian two trios capable of producing something good in attack. We repeat: for the Canadian to advance this season, Dach will have to become the player that management has been waiting for since his acquisition two years ago.

5. It’s going to take Patrik Laine’s return to full form

He hasn’t played yet this season, but in an optimistic scenario, Laine could be back from his sprained left knee at the end of the month, and that little detail could provide a solid boost to the Canadiens’ offense. He also held on-ice exercises on Tuesday. Obviously, you have to be careful when it comes to expectations with a player who will need to find his rhythm after a long absence, and in this regard, the case of Kirby Dach is quite eloquent. But if Laine can display some of his good-day form – he still collected 52 points in 55 games in Columbus two years ago – the Canadiens’ second trio could become what the Canadiens’ management hoped for and then also, the mix could make a big comeback.