The Canadiens took a break from their pursuit of history Wednesday when coach Michel Therrien scrapped a scheduled practice, replacing it with some light stretching and yoga.
“Rest is a weapon and when you get a chance to get some rest, you have to take it,” said defenceman Nathan Beaulieu.
“It’s a long season and it’s good to get some time to relax,” forward Dale Weise added. “We’re having fun here; it’s always fun when you’re winning.”
The Canadiens are off to the fastest start in franchise history and, while everyone is buying into Therrien’s philosophy of playing one game at a time, there are some targets ahead in the next week.
The Canadiens are 7-0 after blanking the St. Louis Blues 3-0 Tuesday night. According to the stats people at the Elias Sports Bureau, the Canadiens became the sixth team in NHL history — and first in 21 years — to begin a season with seven consecutive victories in regulation. The others are the 1975-76 Sabres, 1985-86 Nordiques, 1993-94 Devils, 1993-94 Maple Leafs and 1994-95 Penguins.
Only the 1975-76 Sabres extended their streak to eight games and the Canadiens can match that with a win over the Sabres Friday night in Buffalo (7 p.m., CITY, RDS, TSN-690 Radio).
Elias adds that the Canadiens have won seven straight games for the first time since March 28-April 9, 2002, and the last time they won seven consecutive games in regulation was in 1992, when they had an eight-game winning streak.
Looking ahead, the Canadiens have a shot at the NHL record for most wins at the start of a season. The Maple Leafs won 10 in a row in 1993 and Buffalo matched that in 2006. If the Canadiens get past Buffalo, and Toronto on Saturday, they would have a chance to tie the record Tuesday in Vancouver.
Carey Price, who is expected to get a night off Friday with Mike Condon starting the first half of the back-to-back set, has a streak of his own. Price has a 6-0 record with a 1.00 goals-against average, .966 save percentage and two shutouts. He’s one win shy of his personal-best seven-game winning streak, last accomplished Nov. 19-Dec. 7, 2013.
Price’s value to the team isn’t in dispute.
Beaulieu described him Wednesday as the best player in the league, while Weise went all-in and suggested Price may be the best player ever.
But Weise also noted that the Canadiens are going into battle with four lines capable of scoring and a solid defence.
“I look at our line and we’re creating chances every night,” he said. “With the chances we’ve had, we should each have 10 goals.”
The Canadiens have the best defensive record in the NHL, allowing one goal a game.
But they also have flexed their offensive muscle this season, averaging 3.29 goals a game, which ranks sixth in the NHL. That’s a vast improvement over last season when the Canadiens ranked 18th with 2.69 goals a game.
And the Canadiens lead the league in shots, with an average of 34.3 a game.
Max Pacioretty has five goals and shares the team lead with Tomas Plekanec. Pacioretty opened the scoring against St. Louis, although it should be noted that he was credited with the goal when Plekanec’s shot caromed off his arm en route to the net. It was Pacioretty’s 22nd winner since the start of the 2013-14 season and he’s the NHL leader in that category, with one more than Washington sniper Alex Ovechkin.
And we leave you with these eye-popping numbers: The Canadiens have more wins than the Los Angeles Kings or Anaheim Ducks have goals. The Kings have scored six times in five games, while the Ducks have five goals in five games.
