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Habs offense wakes up, gives Cunneyworth his first win

Montreal Canadiens v Boston Bruins

BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 19: Montreal Canadiens head coach Randy Cunneyworth works the bench during the game against the Boston Bruins at the TD Garden on December 19, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeated the Canadiens 3-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Bruce Bennett

Some trickster bought Randy Cunneyworth a Rosetta Stone for Christmas, but his best gift came a couple days later. The Montreal Canadiens erupted for six goals to top the Ottawa Senators 6-2, giving the embattled English-speaker his first win as an NHL head coach.

Cunneyworth likely would have preferred to get that first victory in one of his four previous tries, but in a way, it seems fitting that it came in Ottawa. He served as the Senators’ captain from 1995-98, including the first season that the “new” version of the team made the playoffs in 1997.

It was truly a team effort as five different players scored goals for Montreal. Michael Cammalleri, Erik Cole, Louis Leblanc, Tomas Plekanec, and P.K. Suban earned a goal and an assist. Mathieu Darche had two assists while Raphael Diaz generated three. Subban’s contribution might be the most heartening because he was coming off a rare night as a healthy scratch. Carey Price was sharp in net, stopping 33 out of 35 shots for his 13th win of the season.

There are a lot of positives to take from that game, but the bottom line is that the Habs remain on the outside of the playoff picture right now:

montrealplayoffpicture

James

Then again, the Canadiens are only four points and three wins behind the eighth-ranked Winnipeg Jets right now, so it’s not outrageous to think that Cunneyworth can turn things around. Much like a person learning a new language, it’s all about baby steps for Cunneyworth and the Habs, though.

Check out highlights from the game below: