Grading the Montreal Canadiens' Stars Through the 1st Few Games of 2014-15

The Montreal Canadiens' incredible start to the 2014-15 season came crashing to an end Monday night at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Habs were run out of the rink by Steven Stamkos and Co., losing 7-1. 

Yet, it's important to look at the big picture: The Canadiens are 3-1 after a very difficult road trip to start the season which saw them play four times in six nights. Michel Therrien and his staff must be pleased with that. 

The Canadiens' best player through four games has clearly been Tomas Plekanec, but how did the team's other stars fare on the road trip? 

Let's assign some early grades to the Canadiens' stars after four games of the 2014-15 season. 

Carey Price: C+

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Carey Price

Stats: 2-1, 3.66 GAA, .878 save percentage 

After a preseason in which he looked ready to carry on dominating like he did last year in the playoffs, Carey Price has instead had a bit of a reality check. 

Price's 2-1 record is in fact the only reason why his grade isn't worse. He did make a few key saves in the win against Toronto and was especially good in the shootout against Philadelphia, stopping all four Flyers shooters.  

Overall, however, Price just hasn't been good enough. 

He has faced 82 shots in three games and has let in more goals (10) than any other goaltender in the league (before games on Oct. 15). His .878 save percentage ranks 39th overall, and only 49 goalies have seen action so far this season. His goals-against average isn't much better at 35th. 

True, the Canadiens defense hasn't been very good. The loss of Alexei Emelin has forced Therrien to juggle his pairings, and he cannot seem to find any combinations that work. 

But this is Price we're talking about. He's one of the best goalies in the world. He has to be better, especially when his defense isn't at its best. 

Will Price's struggles continue? Absolutely not. In fact, he'll probably turn in his best performance of the season in Montreal's home opener against Boston on Oct. 16.

Through the team's first four games of the season, though, Price hasn't been at his best. Far from it, in fact. He will be better as the season progresses. 

P.K. Subban: B

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P.K. Subban

Stats: 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, +1, 14 shots

P.K. Subban has by no means come flying out of the gates of the 2014-15 NHL season. He has a modest two points in four games, which is certainly low for his standards but a pace he'll certainly increase. 

At the defensive end, he has made mistakes and has been victimized for a couple of goals against, like when he let Stamkos get behind him for a breakaway on Tampa Bay's third goal on Monday, and when Ryan Callahan beat him clean to the outside for the fifth. 

But what Montreal Canadiens defenseman hasn't been burned for at least one goal early this season? As a unit, it's been pretty bad. Even Andrei Markov, who has clearly been Montreal's best blueliner to start the season, made a big mistake in leaving Tyler Bozak wide open in front for Toronto's second goal during the season opener. 

Clearly, Subban needs to be a bit better in his own end, but that applies for the entire defense corps. 

He has done some things well to start the season, and that all starts with his whopping 14 shots on goal through four games, which puts him tied for third, not just among defensemen, but in the entire NHL. Only Stamkos and Zach Parise have more shots on goal.

We can also look to advanced stats to prove that Subban isn't playing as bad as it may seem on the surface. Through four games, his on-ice Corsi percentage is at 25.38. That ranks him 78th in the NHL out of 559 players. The ranking might not be fantastic, but let's put the actual Corsi number into perspective: 25.38 would have led the entire NHL last season among players who appeared in more than 50 games. 

For an explanation of Corsi and other advanced stats, see Jonathan Willis of Bleacher Report's article. But what Subban's Corsi number basically tells us is that the Canadiens are heavily outshooting opponents and are subsequently controlling puck possession when he's on the ice. 

Subban's new contract is going to have him scrutinized for every little mistake he makes. In reality, however, he really isn't playing that poorly through four games of the 2014-15 season. 

Max Pacioretty: B-

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Max Pacioretty

Stats: 1 G, 0 A, 1 P, +4, 10 shots

Max Pacioretty had a great start to the season when he became the first player in the NHL to score during 2014-15. That was at the 4:42 mark of the first period against Toronto, however, and since then, he hasn't found the back of the net in over 11 periods and two overtime sessions.

And, after last year's 39-goal performance, that just isn't acceptable for Pacioretty. 

He is doing other things well on the ice. He's skating, forechecking, playing good defense and even hitting a bit. He hasn't been invisible on the ice like he was in the past when he was in a slump. That proves he's maturing as a player. It also suggests that goals will come.

But the fact remains that Pacioretty needs to score goals at a higher rate than 0.25 per game. Pacioretty, and every Canadiens fan in the world, knows this.

It's certainly not time to panic yet, seeing as the season is only four games old, but a couple of goals over the next few games for Pacioretty would certainly have everyone feeling a little better about the young season. 

Andrei Markov: A

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Andrei Markov

Stats: 1 G, 2 A, 3 P, +3, 7 shots

Simply put, Markov has been the Canadiens' best defenseman to open the season. His three points in four games is tied for second in team scoring and is tops among defensemen. 

Defensively, his plus-three is impressive, especially when you consider the Habs have given up 14 goals against. While his fellow defensemen make mistake after mistake, he has been his usual solid self. 

The only reason Markov hasn't earned an "A+" to start the season is because of the lack of success of the team's power play. The Canadiens are in an ugly 0-for-14 slump with the man advantage to start the season. This is by no means Markov's fault, but as one of the two quarterbacks, some of the blame does fall on his shoulders. 

Markov is making Marc Bergevin look like a genius for signing him to a three-year deal this offseason, even though the veteran is already 35 years old. He has been great so far, and there's no reason to think it won't continue throughout the season. 

Tomas Plekanec: A+

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Tomas Plekanec

Stats: 4 G, 1 A, 5 P, +4, 12 shots

Four goals in four games and the NHL's first star of the week. What a dream start to the season it has been for Plekanec. The do-it-all center for the Montreal Canadiens has been at his very best to start the 2014-15 season, reminding Canadiens fans how valuable he really is to his team. 

So far this season, he has teamed up with left winger Alex Galchenyuk to form the team's most dangerous line, no matter who is playing on the right side. Brendan Gallagher, Jiri Sekac and P.A. Parenteau have all taken turns as Therrien has constantly been shuffling his right wingers. 

Parenteau completed the trio in Philadelphia and Tampa Bay, and he'll probably be there for the next game. Regardless, it has been all about Plekanec and Galchenyuk so far. The chemistry the two seem to have developed is incredible. 

The two are feeding off each other. Galchenyuk's confidence is at an all-time high, and his playmaking brilliance has been on display. Plekanec has rewarded Galchenyuk by putting the puck in the net. 

Plekanec has also been great at the other end of the ice, as he always is, starting off the season with a plus-four rating. He's also second among forwards in short-handed time on the ice (behind Manny Malhotra) with 2:13 per game. 

Will the offensive numbers continue for Plekanec? Of course not, seeing as he's on pace for 82 goals and 103 points. But his incredible start to the season is reminding us (again) how important he is to the Canadiens.

He gets a well-earned "A+" to start the season. 

All stats from NHL.com. Advanced stats from BehindTheNet.ca.