Canadiens Are Looking To Get Their Offense Going

It has been a struggle for the Montreal Canadiens out the game and while they have struggled in the crease, they have struggled more at putting the puck in the net. The Habs have been one of the worst scoring teams in the league so far and while they have won their last two games in a row (prior to Wednesday night) they still failed to score more than three goals in each game. They have now failed to score more than three goals in 10 of their last 11 games and have averaged just 1.91 gpg over that stretch. The play in the crease has been getting far better of late as they have allowed just 2.18 gpg over their last 11 games. They really need to get their offense goi8ng to be a real threat in the East. The Habs have gone 4-8 on the road. Carey Price is expected to get the nod on Wednesday night, so getting the call in this one should be Antti Niemi, who is 0-5 with a 5.50 GAA and a .845 save percentage on the year, including 0-4 with a 5.62 GAA on the road. This is the 3rd team he has played for this year and is 0-1 with a 2.40 GAA in one start for the Habs. In his career, he has gone 95-103 with a 2.71 GAA on the road and 23-27 with a 2.64 GAA against the Atlantic Division, while against the Red Wings he has gone 14-6 with a 1.91 GAA.  

The Canadiens have been really poor on offense so far as they come in ranked 30th in the league in scoring at 2.36 gpg, while also ranking 3rd in shots taken (35.3 spg) and 27th in power play conversions, converting on 16.1% of their chances. At the defensive end of the ice, they have been poor as they come in ranked 26th in goals allowed, giving up 3.20 gpg, while also ranking 13th in shots allowed (31.4%) and 23rd in penalty kill, allowing teams to convert on 22.6% of their chances.