TEAM COMPARISONS
After an opening month where it felt like the Canadiens could do no wrong, November has brought an equally dramatic swing in the opposite direction. Some of the struggles — especially the sputtering power play — fall squarely on Montreal’s shoulders. The rest? Bad luck. In the span of four days, the Habs lost three core pieces in Kirby Dach, Kaiden Guhle, and Alex Newhook to long-term injuries. But as Martin St-Louis likes to remind everyone: the League doesn’t care. It moves on. And despite the mounting adversity, the Canadiens have no choice but to move with it, starting Monday in Columbus against a Blue Jackets team they’ve beaten in seven of their last eight meetings.
Outside of Kirill Marchenko’s better than point-per-game pace, nothing about Columbus’ stat line jumps off the page. But just like last year, the Jackets have found a way to grind out wins and stay in the thick of the Eastern Conference standings. Their season has already featured one cold streak— a four-game losing skid — immediately followed by a heater of the same length. They come into Monday’s matchup 5-3-2 in their last 10 and close out a three-game homestand at Nationwide Arena, where they’ve put together a 4-3-1 record this season.
SEASON SERIES
Nov. 17 @ CBJ:
Mar. 26 vs. CBJ:
Apr. 11 vs. CBJ:
PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR
Held off the scoresheet in three straight, it will be interesting to see how the 19-year-old responds. Growing pains are inevitable, but Demidov is already too important to the Habs’ offensive identity to stay quiet much longer. Montreal needs him to rediscover his touch if they want to dig out of this slide.
Not only has Marchenko been Columbus’ most dangerous scorer this season, he’s also been their hottest player of late. The 25-year-old — coming off a career-best 74-point campaign — has piled up seven points in his last five games and remains the Jackets’ most consistent threat.
BY THE NUMBERS: HABS-JACKETS
Here’s how the Canadiens and Blue Jackets match up by the numbers:
