Habs better this season
Carbo's hiring of Muller pays off. But goaltending, defence remain a concern

PAT HICKEY, The GazettePublished: Monday, October 30, 2006

National Hockey League teams like to break down the season in 10-game increments. The goal for each block is to finish better than .500. If a team can accomplish that for the majority of the eight segments, the chances are pretty good that they will be playing in the postseason.

The Canadiens completed their first 10-game segment Saturday with a 5-4 shootout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs and their record provides reason for hope and concern.

On the plus side, the Canadiens are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings with 13 of a possible 20 points. If you project that performance over 82 games, you have 106 points for the season.

Of course,it doesn't work that way. Last season, the Canadiens had 15 points after 10 games and they finished the season in seventh place with 93 points.

The bad news is that the Canadiens have lost as many games as they have won. The Habs and the Ottawa Senators, who visit the Bell Centre tomorrow night (7:30 p.m., RDS, Rogers Sportsnet, CJAD Radio-800) have five wins each, but the Canadiens have a three-point cushion because three of their losses have been in shootouts.

As noted, the Canadiens are slightly behind last year's pace, but there are signs this year's team is improved. Here are five reasons why:

1. Chris Higgins: He's a gritty and heady defensive forward in the Bob Gainey-Guy Carbonneau mode, but he brings something extra to the table. As he proved when he was moved to the No. 1 line in January, he has impressive offensive skills. He's tied with defenceman Sheldon Souray for the team lead in goals with six. Higgins and linemates Saku Koivu and Michael Ryder have provided the Canadiens with consistent offence.

2. Sergei Samsonov: After struggling early in the season, the highly touted offseason acquisition showed what he can do with a strong two-goal, plus-3 performance against Toronto. "People had to be more patient," linemate and fellow Russian Alex Kovalev said. "If we get him the puck, he'll score."

That statement seems to be supported by the statistics - Samsonov has four goals on only 11 shots. Getting him the puck has been a problem, but head coach Guy Carbonneau might be on to a solution with the decision to move Kovalev to centre. It worked Saturday and we'll see it again.

3. Guy Carbonneau: The rookie head coach has had to make some tough decisions, but he's staying one step ahead of the second-guessers. One of his earliest decisions might have been one of the most important: the hiring of assistant coach Kirk Muller, when a lot of people thought he should hire a francophone and/or a former defenceman. Muller has helped forge one of the best penalty-killing units in the new NHL.

4. The third line: The oft-criticized Radek Bonk is healthy, and newcomer Mike Johnson brings speed and skills to a shut-down unit that can also chip in with the odd goal.

5. Sheldon Souray: The new NHL offers some defensive challenges for Souray, but it has also provided an outlet for one of the hardest shots in the league. Five of his six goals have been scored on the power play.

There are areas of concern. The goaltending lacks consistency, but Cristobal Huet and David Aebischer turned in strong performances last week. They could use some help from a defence that has allowed an average of 33 shots a game.

Sixty-minute performances have been elusive - we've seen third-period rallies and collapses; slow and fast starts. And rookie Guillaume Latendresse is hitting more, but remains a work in progress.