The Montréal Canadiens are rolling into Scotiabank Arena tonight with a scorching 10-3-3 record, good for a 0.719 Points % that has them looking like a “near perfect team” in the standings. They just took down the Utah Mammoth 5-4 in overtime on November 5. But don’t let those numbers fool you, because digging into their stats is like looking at a funhouse mirror. This team’s underlying metrics are absolutely wild, and it makes you wonder what’s really going on in Montréal.
Canadiens’ Stats Don’t Add Up
Seriously, how do you manage to look “near perfect” when the numbers scream something else? The Canadiens are excellent at Corsi at five-on-five, but they give away a *ton* of quality in both offense and defense. Their power play is straight-up bad, and they’re somehow even worse at actually scoring on it. You’d think that would sink a team, right? Nope, not these guys! Their penalty kill is just average, allowing an average number of goals, which is somehow “the way” to perfection. And their goaltending? Only average in all situations, with Jake slated to be in net. Jacob Fowler has been very good, but Jakub Dobes has been very bad, which evens it all out. What gives? This team’s five-on-five xG% is over 51% but they are ranked 16th early in the season. It feels like they’re defying gravity, and you have to think this kind of play can’t last, can it?
Leafs Need a Jolt With Tavares Back
Meanwhile, the Leafs are coming off a 3-2 regulation loss at home to the Utah Mammoth on November 3, bringing their record to 8-7-2 for a 0.529 Points %. That’s not terrible, but it’s not the “near perfect” vibe the Canadiens are bringing. The good news for the home crowd? John Tavares is back in the lineup! He’s been working on playing on the wing in practice this week and he’ll be on the second line with Nick Paul and William Nylander. To make room, the Leafs waived Bo Groulx and recalled Artur Akhtyamov to back up Sergei Bobrovsky tonight. The lines show Easton Cowan, Auston Matthews, and Jack Roslovic on the top unit, with a solid defense of Jake McCabe and Darren Raddysh, Morgan Rielly and Chris Tanev, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Troy Stecher.
Tonight’s game kicks off at 7:00 PM EST at Scotiabank Arena, a pivotal matchup right before the actual Hall of Fame induction game tomorrow. For the Leafs, especially after that tough loss to Utah, there’s only one result that’s going to satisfy everyone in the building tonight. They’ve got to figure out this bizarrely successful Canadiens squad and get back to winning.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pension Plan Puppets.
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