Montreal Canadiens are finding surprising ways to win
By Jasmine Yen
The Montreal Canadiens are winning in ways that no one expected at the start of the season. Carey Price is struggling and yet they are fourth in the Atlantic Division.
No matter how bad the team is on paper, the Montreal Canadiens always had one trick up their sleeve to ensure that they remain competitive: Carey Price. He has the ability to take a team on his back and carry them to the playoffs as he has shown numerous times in his illustrious career.
Entering the 2018-19 season, the Canadiens were young and fast, but they didn’t look like playoff material. They were expected to be near the bottom of the standings again to ensure another high draft pick. But there was always a shadow looming over that projection. If the Canadiens got the usual great goaltending from Price, they would have a chance.
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Well, it’s 2019 and Price has a .904 save percentage and a 2.8 goals against average. In 29 games played, he has a 15-10-4 record. As of right now, this is the second-worst performance of his career, the worst one being last season when he had a .900 save percentage and a 3.11 goals against average.
Now, to be fair, Price is currently out with a lower-body injury and it is entirely possible that it has been nagging him throughout the season. But at the end of the day, Price has not been as dominant as he is capable of. And yet, the Canadiens are still winning games.
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Price and Anti Niemi have combined for a .897 save percentage, good for 23rd in the NHL. However, their goal scoring has been much stronger than anticipated, with a rejuvenated Max Domi leading the team. Tomas Tatar has refound his groove, Jonathan Drouin is done being a center experiment, and Brendan Gallagher is continuing to build off last year’s career season.
The team is 11th in the league in goals (126), 10th in goals per game (3.2), and 3rd in shots for (1377). They have five players with 10+ goals and five players with 25+ points. The Canadiens have three solid lines with promising young centers (Domi, Philip Danault, Kotkaniemi) and they are getting consistent production from each of their top nine.
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The main objective of hockey is to score more goals than your opponent before the final horn sounds. Even though Price and Niemi allow a combined 3.18 goals a game, they can count on their offence to bail them out. This team is finding ways to win without their star goaltender and it has resulted in a secure playoff spot in a weak conference. As long as they continue to produce as a team, they will continue to succeed with or without Price in net.