Despite a great run overseas, the Canadian still has a lot of work to do to maintain his place in the playoff picture, and the first month of the calendar year will tell a lot about that.
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Having picked up 10 points from a possible 14 over the holidays, the Habs will find their fans in relatively good shape on Wednesday. His 52 points earned him second place in the Atlantic Section heading into Monday's games. However, it is in his best interest to keep an eye on the rearview mirror, but above all to maintain his place in the top three in his division; Currently, the passes of clubs drafted in the Eastern Association belong to the capital teams.
In addition, CH will play seven of its 13 remaining games in January against section opponents. And the first of them is scheduled for Thursday: after hosting the Calgary Flames the day before, head coach Martin St. Louis' wards will host the Florida Panthers. The latter are in ninth place in the East, five points behind Blue Blanc Rouge.
The Montreal team will then face the Buffalo Sabers at least three times, who have bounced back by winning 10 straight before collapsing on Saturday in Columbus. Those upsets on January 15, 22 and 31 will be crucial, especially since Lindy Ruff's squad scored one point less than the Panthers while playing one less match.
CH will also face the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday at the Bell Center. The Michigan club is third in its division with the same number of points as Glorier. And that's not to mention visits to the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins, who scored 45 and 46 points, respectively.
If we add those seven intra-division games to the Jan. 13 game against the Washington Capitals, who are fighting for a playoff spot in the East, it makes sense to say that CH could play its season before the Olympic break. Sure, he's in contention to lead his association (the Tampa Bay Lightning are in first place with 53 points), but he's still close to being eliminated from the playoffs and even out of the basement. The Columbus Blue Jackets scored 43 points despite a record above .500.
No gifts
Therefore, the schedule will not be easy, especially in terms of the quality of the opposition. In addition to the opponents mentioned above, CH will cross swords with some big names from the West, most notably the Colorado Avalanche. The leaders of the general classification, who have lost only three times in regulation time, will come to the city on January 29 in the form of the Quebec Nordiques. The Canadian will also face the Minnesota Wild on January 20 and the Vegas Golden Knights a week later.
Fatigue could also play a tricky trick on CH, who will play a two-match series over the same number of nights on Wednesday and Thursday, and then January 12 and 13. He can take some comfort from the expected return of Kayden Guhle and Kirby Dach, both out injured for several months.
TVA Sports will broadcast the Champions Games on January 10, 17, 24 and 31. The opponents will be, in order: Red Wings, Senators, Bruins and Sabers.
CH CALENDAR FROM JANUARY 7 TO JANUARY 31
January 7: gr. Calgary
January 8: gr. Florida
January 10: gr. Detroit
January 12: gr. Vancouver
January 13: in Washington.
January 15: in Buffalo.
January 17: in Ottawa.
January 20: gr. Minnesota
January 22: gr. Buffalo
January 24: in Boston.
January 27: gr. Vegas
January 29: gr. Colorado
January 31: in Buffalo.
