The start to the 2017-18 NHL regular season has had its fair share of surprises. On one end of the spectrum you have teams like the New Jersey Devils and expansion Vegas Golden Knights near the top of their respective conferences despite tempered expectations.
Then you have a club like the Montreal Canadiens.
After eight games, the reigning Atlantic Division champions find themselves dead last in the East and haven’t won since a shootout victory over the Sabres in the season opener.
Ben Nicholson-Smith and Brent Gunning joined host Rob Wong Saturday morning on the Sportsnet Hot Stove to discuss, among other topics, Montreal’s poor start to the season.
“Even knowing that it is only less than 10 per cent of the way into the season, we’re not at a point where you can necessarily say what this team is,” Nicholson-Smith said. “But, at least based on what we have seen, the results aren’t good.”
The Canadiens are coming off a California road trip during which they were outscored by a combined 16-5 in regulation losses to the Sharks, Kings and Ducks.
“This is a team that’s designed to win games 3-2 and sometimes 2-1 and if the guy who is often called the best goalie on earth—if Carey Price isn’t going to be that guy and he’s going to be giving up four, five, sometimes six a night, that team’s just not going to be able to win,” Gunning added.
Price is 1-5-1 with a 3.95 goals-against average and .881 save percentage.
The Canadiens return home Tuesday to face the Panthers.
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