NBCSN will continue its coverage of the 2015-16 campaign tonight when the Montreal Canadiens host the Chicago Blackhawks at 7:30 p.m. ET. If you want to watch the game online, you can do so here.
The Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks are going in very different directions.
Things couldn’t be better for Chicago. They’re currently riding an eight-game winning streak and most of their top players are producing offensively.
Patrick Kane might not be on a 26-game point streak anymore, but he’s picked up 13 points in his last eight contests.
Captain Jonathan Toews has registered at least one point in eight of his team’s last nine games, and Marian Hossa, who broke a 14-game goal drought earlier this week, has four points in his last two games.
If that wasn’t enough, Corey Crawford is arguably playing the best hockey of his career. The 31-year-old is on a personal six-game winning streak.
He also has just three regulation losses since Dec. 6, and he’s allowed more than two goals just four times since then.
In Montreal, things couldn’t be going much worse.
After their 9-0-0 start to the season, not many expected the Canadiens to be fighting for their playoff lives in January.
The Canadiens have three wins in their last 12 games. Not only are they not at the top of the Atlantic Division anymore, but they now trail Florida by eight points.
There’s no doubt that Carey Price’s extended absence has hurt them, but unlike Chicago, most of Montreal’s top players have struggled to put the puck in the net.
They haven’t been much better in their own end either as defensive zone turnovers and slightly above average goaltending have also hurt them.
If they continue to lose, big changes could be coming in La Belle Province.
Chicago and Montreal will meet again on Sunday.