Pacioretty's hot streak fueling Canadiens' resurgence

Everyone in Montreal take a deep breath - your team is winning games once again, and a lot of that has to do with captain Max Pacioretty.

Patches started the campaign on one of the worst scoring droughts of his 10-year career, notching only one goal across the team's first eight games. During that same time frame, the Canadiens went a miserable 1-7 while struggling to put the puck in the back of the net.

Fast forward 10 games, and Montreal has seen its season go from bleak to blossoming - and the Habs can look no further than their streaking captain for the team's turnaround.

Including his two-point performance Saturday night against the Buffalo Sabres, which included his 10th overtime goal of his career, Pacioretty now has 11 points in his last 10 contests.

Over that same span, the Canadiens have now won six out of their last nine games to climb out of the Eastern Conference basement.

Despite the lackluster start to his 2017-18 season, Pacioretty is still on pace for a 30-plus-goal, 60-plus-point season. However, the bottom line is that he must continue his torrid pace if Montreal hopes to be in the mix for one of the final playoff seeds in the East.

With No. 1 goaltender Carey Price working his way back from injury and Pacioretty firing on all cylinders, fans in La Belle Province have legitimate reason for optimism.