NHL Power Rankings Week 7: Blue Jackets rising, Islanders at rock bottom

Give some credit to the Montreal Canadiens. They’re playing a lot better in front of Carey Price as of late. This reflects in their possession numbers, as the Habs have a 50.94 percent score-adjusted CF percentage in November, as well as a 51.1 percent score-adjusted SCF percentage. it’s not fantastic, but with the best goalie in the NHL (and some might argue best player), it doesn’t need to be.

What’s impressive about the Canadiens is they’ve built an impressive group of forwards. You know things are going well when Max Pacioretty’s shot rate is down and nobody’s panicking. Alexander Radulov (three goals and 16 points) was a significant gamble by Montreal. Thus far, giving the forward a one-year “prove it” deal has been a huge success.

Alex Galchenyuk (19 points) has turned into one of the most exciting players in the NHL. Shea Weber has been quite productive and is a perfect fit in their system. For now, the Weber trade looks good. Paul Byron has been a huge surprise, contributing seven goals and 12 points.

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Whatever faults this team has, Price can cover up a lot of them. So can their surprisingly deep forward group. I shouldn’t need to tell Canadiens fans to be thankful for Price. He might not be the most valuable player in the NHL, but that’s telling of how good the Habs have become.