Canadiens Buying In At Right Time

The Montreal Canadiens are buying in as a group at the right time.

Jan 16, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Montreal Canadiens center Kirby Dach (77) and goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) and defenseman Arber Xhekaj (72) celebrate on the ice after defeating the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Do you know the list of teams the Montreal Canadiens have beaten recently? It's quite the impressive group of squads, with the Habs taking down the Dallas Stars, Washington Capitals, Utah Hockey Club, Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, and Tampa Bay Lightning over their past 10 games.

What has been the key to the Canadiens going from bottom of the Atlantic Division to on the heels of a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference? According to their head coach, Martin St. Louis, the entire team is buying in as a group and the results are taking effect. Following the team's victory over the Stars, St. Louis said the group mentality is making them tough to beat.

"I think we have a big buy-in, more than just what is good for [individuals]," he said. "It becomes contagious, and when you have that mindset as a group, it’s kind of a pack mentality. You’re harder to play against, and we’re seeing that."

That buying in is obvious on the ice over this hot stretch. The team's offense has become a five-player responsibility, rather than relying solely on their talented individuals. The results speak for themselves, as the team has six players with 10 or more goals at the halfway point of the season.

That buy in is making a difference defensively as well. It's a huge reason why rookie net minder Jakub Dobes has come in and recorded four straight victories to begin his NHL career. Similarly, it's a contributing factor to starter Sam Montembeault getting his goals against average to a personal best of 2.88 as he approaches and surpasses his career high in starts in a season.

An invaluable piece to their defensive equation has been the arrival of Alexandre Carrier from the Nashville Predators. The right-handed puck mover has been a perfect fit in their system, relieved the pressure on Mike Matheson and rookie d-man Lane Hutson, and given the team another dependable blue liner. In 13 games with the club, he has seven assists while skating over 20 minutes of ice-time a night.

The Habs are certainly buying in, as their coach stated. It's bringing them to the brink of a playoff spot and they are closing in on the first step in finally taking the winningest franchise in NHL history back to postseason prominence.

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