Last night in Boston, Montreal won their seventh game in a row this season over the Bruins, and tenth in a row dating back to last season.
Alex Kovalev and his talented line-mates danced around an all-star defenseman in Zdeno Chara and an All-Star goalie in Tim Thomas on three separate occasions, all of which made TSN's honour role.
The rookie goaltender Carey Price notched his 18th win of the season and made several highlight reel saves himself.
It is hard to believe that only eight short months ago, hockey analysts nation-wide considered the Canadiens to be down and out. With a slew of inexperienced rookies and the loss of Sheldon Souray, a core component of their top ranked power play, a 12th or 13th place finish was the average prediction given to the Habs.
However, with their impressive play thus far, les Bleu, Blanc, et Rouges have forced all of these "experts" to eat their own words with a generous helping of humble pie for dessert.
A mere seven games remain in the regular season, and the Habs sit atop the East with 92 points. A feat that has not been accomplished this late in the season since Lord Stanley's cup was last paraded down St. Catherine Street in '93.
There is no doubt that the Canadiens are contenders. They've proven that by their ability to play through controversy (Kostopolopus and O'Byrne purse incident), their ability to defeat teams that have always given them trouble in the past (the last time they won a season series against New Jersey they closed out the year by hoisting the cup), and their ability to remain consistent (the only team that has not dropped four in a row this season).
The biggest asset this team carries with them into the postseason however, is chemistry. It is evident when viewing a game, that the Habs have found their groove.
The Plekanec, Kovalev, and Kostitsyn line is a threat for every second they are on the ice. The speedy duo of Grabovski and Sergei Kostitsyn have helped pull Higgins out of his slump. Koivu and Ryder have rekindled the fire that appeared to be extinguished, and the ever changing fourth line does its job every game.
As for goaltending, the rookie tandem of Price and Halak is very inexperienced, but does appear to have what it takes to go deep. Cristobal Huet's leadership will be missed when it comes time for the postseason.
The goaltender was dealt to Washington in a trade that left the hockey world in shock. As a free agent this summer, the rationale behind this move was that they could get something for him now, or let him walk free at the end of the season.
Ultimately, GM Bob Gainey went with the former. It is incredibly difficult to believe that a talented goalie like Huet could only pull in a second-round draft pick when Toronto received a second and a fifth rounder for mediocre-at-best defenseman Hal Gill.
Regardless, Carey Price was left with immense pressure on his shoulders, but if there is any rookie goalie that can handle it, it's Carey.
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