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The Canadiens were the class of the league in overall special team play last year. While their penalty kill was middle of the road (15th at 82.5%), their power play converted 45 of 184 chances - an efficiency rate of 24.5%. No other team gained as much combined value from special teams, and Montreal's proficiency here helped mask the team's unexceptional effort at even strength. Defenseman Mark Streit's departure, on top of the previous season's loss of Sheldon Souray, will put pressure on the PP unit, which is still deep at the forward positions, to repeat as the league's best. But the offseason moves at forward may also take some pressure off by helping improve the team's competitiveness at even strength. Here's our first look at the Canadiens headed into the new season.

The Canadiens vs. the rest of the NHL

The following chart breaks down the Canadiens' performance on special teams and at even strength in 2007 with respect to the opponents the team faced. (Check here if you're interested in the underlying calculations.)


NOTE: Teams that the Canadiens did well against at even strength appear to the right. Teams that the Canadiens did well against on special teams appear at the top.

Montreal had the best record in its division last season largely due to its 7-0-1 performance against Boston. Against the rest, the team was close to .500. The chart makes clear the fact the Canadiens had particular trouble handling two teams, the Senators and the Rangers, at even strength. They avoided a lopsided win-loss record against those teams by winning the special teams battles in both cases.

The Canadiens' special teams were a consistent positive for the team throughout the season, steadily adding value without any notable peaks or valleys. The team demonstrated a similar consistency but in an opposite direction with their even strength play. It should be noted, though, that the team finished the season on an even strength upswing.


NOTE: The chart shows the Canadiens' net goal value at even strength and on special teams over the 2007-2008 season.

The defensemen

For all of Montreal's offensive talent, the team's ability to produce points last year was most closely tied, among all skaters, to the play of two of their defensemen: Roman Hamrlik and Mike Komisarek. Both of these players drew less ice time than the team workhorse, Andrei Markov, who managed to put in a good 3 minutes of short-handed duty each game. Hamrlik and Komisarek didn't benefit nearly as much as Markov on the PP, so it was how they did in their defensive assignments that mattered most. The pair's efforts most correlated with the non-shootout points the team earned in a game.


NOTE: Players (not goaltenders) who appear closer together in the above chart tended to be on-ice together for goals scored against the team. The number in brackets represents the total number of goals against that were scored while the player was on ice.

The forwards

Alex Kovalev ranked sixth in the league for overall on-ice goal value. What this means is that when Kovalev was on the ice, Montreal tended to score more game-altering goals (tying and tie-breaking goals) than the opposition scored against the team. Kovalev's chemistry with his line mates helped make all three Montreal skaters strong goal value performers at even strength and on special teams.

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NOTE: The number in brackets represents the player's points for the 2007 season. In general, the smaller the distance separating players, the more overlap in their points recorded.

The addition of Alex Tanguay and Robert Lang could bolster the team's even strength play given that both forwards produced net positive on-ice results in those situations last year. In Tanguay's case, the fact that his former coach, Mike Keenan, emphasized his defensive role on the team may prove beneficial for his game in the long run.


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