Regardless of what transpires on New Year’s Eve when the Montreal Canadiens visit the Vegas Golden Knights, December has been a positive month, with an 8-5-0 record as proof of their efforts. The club is playing better by almost every metric than in October and November. How are they accomplishing this and does it change expectations as the sun rises in 2025?
Simple Stats: More Scoring, Fewer Goals Conceded
It sounds simple that a team with a strong attack, dependable defence and reliable netminding will meet most of their challenges. But for a rebuilding franchise, like Montreal, accomplishing those basic feats is frustratingly easier said than done. Case in point: as of Dec. 29, the Canadiens have a minus-15 goal differential.
However, this month, they have turned the tide. Through 13 games, they’ve scored 44 goals and conceded 38 for a plus-6 differential – not world-beaters, but a huge improvement. Their recent scoring has seen their season average climb to 3.03 per match, good for 19th in the league. In 13 tilts in December, they’ve averaged 3.38. It’s a bit of a cheat to compare it to other clubs for the season, but 3.38 would make them the sixth-highest-scoring club in the NHL.
Then there is the dreadful average of 3.44 goals allowed, which plunges the Canadiens to 28th. This month, the opposition scored 38 goals in 13 games for an average of 2.92. That would put them just outside the top 10. Furthermore, they experienced one of their nightmare scenarios on Dec. 12 when the Pittsburgh Penguins obliterated them 9-2. Remove that one game, and they’ve allowed 29 goals in 12 opportunities for an average of 2.41. Not bad at all. They were also flattened 6-3 by the Boston Bruins on Dec. 1, but that might be stretching the argument.
Habs’ Four Lines Contributing
There are always endless conversations about which players deserve top-six minutes. Like any head coach, Martin St. Louis has done some circus act-worthy line juggling this season, in part because of injuries, in part because some things just didn’t work over the first two months of the season.
However, regardless of which Habs are on what line, they are all putting their name on the scoresheet this month. If they aren’t putting the biscuit into the basket, they’re at least bringing apples to the picnic, and that has started the great debate about Jake Evans‘ future with the club. Good. That means he’s doing his job.
In Sunday’s match against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he scored in his fifth consecutive contest for six goals this month and six assists for 12 points in 13 games. Those aren’t numbers expected from a player who has never completed a season with more than 29 points.
Consider the following figures:
- Lane Hutson:13 points (two goals, 11 assists)
- Nick Suzuki: 13 points (two goals, 11 assists)
- Cole Caufield: 13 points (four goals, nine assists)
- Jake Evans: 12 points (six goals, six assists)
- Patrik Laine: 10 points (eight goals, two assists)
- Joel Armia: eight points (five goals, three assists)
- Emil Heineman: eight points (three goals, five assists)
Related: Evans at Risk of Pricing Himself Out of Canadiens’ Long-Term Plans
It’s a very healthy mixture of players who regularly get the spotlight and others who grind it out lower down the pecking order. To top it off, Kirby Dach netted two against the Florida Panthers on Dec. 27, and Alex Newhook had a three-point weekend via one goal and a pair of assists. But not everybody has brought the holiday cheers. Juraj Slafkovky only has four points this month and is a minus-7. But beggars can’t be choosers.
Canadiens Taking the Initiative: Score First
This month, the Canadiens have excelled at taking the initiative.
In 13 games, St. Louis’ troupe was first to celebrate scoring in 10. In five of those matches, they claimed a 2-0 advantage. Being the first to score 76.92% of the time will boost one’s odds of winning the contest. Granted, the eight victories translate to a winning percentage of 61.5%, but no one is claiming the Canadiens are suddenly one of the best teams in the league.
For that matter, one of those 2-0 leads was earned against the Washington Capitals. The latter is one of the NHL’s best and brightest in 2024-25, so they stormed back for a 4-2 win. Montreal led the Pittsburgh game 1-0, so that was an unfortunate stumbling block. They also surprised the Winnipeg Jets with an early goal, but like the Capitals, the Jets are Cup contenders this season, and that game finished in a 4-2 loss for the Canadiens.
Canadiens’ Solid Special Teams
Special teams are one of the best secret sauces to success in the NHL. Throughout December, the Canadiens have benefitted from 38 power-play opportunities and cashed in on eight. That’s a 21.05% efficiency. Interestingly, Montreal is 16th league-wide at 21.4% this season, which is a few decimals higher than how they’ve fared this month. We won’t bemoan the club for operating 0.35% worse than their season average, but it is reassuring to know that this part of their game has remained consistent. They aren’t amazing, but they aren’t poor either.
The funny part is that one player generated 100% of those goals on the man advantage: Laine. The team has scored eight power-play goals, but the truth is each one came off his stick. As a matter of fact, he netted a hat trick of power-play goals on Dec. 17 versus the Buffalo Sabres. The bigger question is whether this ludicrous efficiency via one player is sustainable.
The penalty-killing units have also kept up their part of the bargain. Actually, they’ve slightly surpassed their average. The Canadiens are currently the ninth-best side at surviving those dreadful minutes with a percentage of 82.5%. In December, they’ve had one of their own banished to the sin bin 45 times and avoided conceding a goal 38 times. That’s a handsome 84.4% penalty-killing rate. Compared to NHL season averages, that would make the Habs the fifth-best team at killing penalties.
All this is to say that the Canadiens are doing many of the little things right in December. It’s been a long, long time since supporters have relished in a good month, pound for pound. Even if they lose on Tuesday, they still finish either 8-6-0 or 8-5-1. They’ll be carrying some swagger into Nevada, though, especially after besting the Panthers and the Lightning. As long as they play as they have in December, this team can continue to defy expectations.
