The Canadiens are 6-2-2 at home so far. Okay, but not great.

With so many home upcoming home games there is bound to be some tough road stretches ahead. Time to bank some points.

A good start is crucial, lose 2 or 3 in a row at home and the fans will make the Bell Centre feel like the most brutal road building.

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Whatever your opinion of Patrick Roy is, and there are many, the fact remains he is one of the best goaltenders to have ever played the game.

He is the last goaltender to lead carry the Canadiens to a Stanley Cup.

And since the night he left Montreal, the Canadiens began a descent into total and complete mediocrity as a hockey team. One of the darkest periods of Habs history followed and haunted the team up until (arguably) very recently.

Would it have been the same if Patrick Roy was a Hab until retirement?

We’ll never know. All we know is it’s been a long 15 years since a Canadiens goalie hoisted the Cup.

Tonight they visit the Senators, whom they handled fairly easily last week and came away with a 4-0 win. Confidence should not be an issue, should it?

New lines for tonight:

Latendresse - Koivu - Tanguay
Higgins - Plekanec - Kovalev
A.Kostitsyn - Lang - Kostopoulous
Laraques - Begin - S. Kostitsyn

The Habs are hurting. On the ice they have looked terrible in 2 of their last 3 games. Individual players are starting (continuing?) to struggle. An added dose of injuries and suspension haven’t made it any easier.

It shouldn’t be any easier tonight welcoming the Flyers who no doubt will play their normal physical game. A style that continues to give the Canadiens fits.

The Habs have owned the Flyers in regular season play, but they’ve also owned the Bruins going into Thursday’s game. We all saw how that turned out.

A streak in today’s game, that borders on ridiculous. How long can it last?

This is the first time the Habs have had real trouble. Time to panic or bump in the road? Which team shows up?

Can anyone understand why in less than a month, the Habs have had two very long spans of no activity?

Does this hurt or help the team right now? Are the Habs going to be overwhelmed with games at some later point in the season?

Is it tough to stay sharp or focused when you are not playing? The team comes from obscurity again tonight and will face the Blue Jackets and then the Maple Leafs 24 hours later.

The Habs only regulation loss was to the Ducks after the first layoff, a game where they definitely started slow.

An easy walk in the park for the Canadiens? Or do they take them too lightly and have a hard time against a struggling team?

The Canadiens are finally meeting some competitive teams and getting tested. They meet the Wild in Minnesota tonight. The Wild have an identical record and are known to be notoriously stingy at home.

Notably, the Wild’s Captain is Saku Koivu’s ‘little’ brother Mikko. Always fun to watch two brothers face off against each other.

The Wild of course are coached by and start several French Canadians which always adds some competitive fire to the mix when playing the Habs.