Debate: Is it time for the Canadiens to panic?
On Wednesday night, the Montreal Canadiens dropped their sixth straight contest, a 5-1 drubbing by the Los Angeles Kings.
The loss dropped the Canadiens' record to 1-5-1 (with only a shootout win in their season opener), leaving them tied with the New York Rangers for the worst start in the Eastern Conference.
It's still early, but with valuable points being squandered, is it already time for Montreal to panic?
Yes, on-ice and front-office failures are sinking the ship
Hagerman: It would be easier for the Canadiens to remain calm in the face of early adversity if there were one or two faults in their game, but the team has holes up and down its roster - and beyond.
Montreal currently sits last in the NHL with 1.43 goals per game - the only team averaging less than two - and is giving up 3.86 per contests, which is tied for 27th.
The Canadiens also have the 28th-ranked power play and their penalty kill sits 25th.
Jonathan Drouin is the only player who's found the back of the net more than once, while the rest of Montreal's big names have been silent.
| Player | Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Max Pacioretty | 1 | 1 |
| Alex Galchenyuk | 1 | 1 |
| Brendan Gallagher | 1 | 2 |
| Phillip Danault | 1 | 2 |
| Shea Weber | 1 | 2 |
Even more worrying is that Carey Price hasn't come to the rescue. The former Vezina Trophy winner has gone 1-4-1 while posting a 3.56 goals-against average and an .885 save percentage, conceding at least three goals in four of his six games.
Of course, many of the Canadiens' struggles can be traced back to general manager Marc Bergevin, who failed to address the team's biggest needs this offseason.
Instead of acquiring a No.1 center, he overpaid Karl Alzner, wasted money in signing Mark Streit, inked Ales Hemsky for some reason, and let Andrei Markov bolt for Russia.
The Canadiens have failed from top to bottom this year, and we're seeing the results on the ice. It's time to panic.
No, take a closer look at the underlying numbers
Gold-Smith: Look, the Canadiens certainly have issues, but let's not get carried away.
Yes, they have the NHL's worst offense through the first seven games, and their defense hasn't been much better.
But they're still driving possession with the sixth-best even-strength Corsi For percentage in the NHL, and they have the league's lowest PDO (which combines shooting percentage and save percentage) through the first two weeks, so it's largely been a case of poor puck luck and goaltending that's bound to improve.
This is a team that still boasts proven finishers in Pacioretty and Drouin. Pacioretty has only one goal on 23 shots so far, but he's scored 141 goals combined across the last four seasons. If recent history is any indication, his luck will turn around.
As far as the save percentage goes, Price is nowhere near this bad. Two of the three games in which he allowed four goals came against the high-powered Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs, and there's plenty of historical evidence to suggest he'll raise his game as the season progresses.
Most importantly, Montreal has still only played twice on home ice. There's nothing wrong with evaluating a team after a couple of weeks, but it would be unwise to overreact when only 8.5 percent of their regular-season schedule and 4.8 percent of their home slate has been completed.
Defense is the biggest problem in Montreal, and it's an issue Bergevin definitely needs to address. But should he panic? Absolutely not.
(Analytics courtesy: Natural Stat Trick)