5 reasons why Habs have won 9 straight games

The Montreal Canadiens are on the brink tying an NHL record, as one of only three franchises to start a season with 10 consecutive wins.

The Habs enter Tuesday night’s game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena with a 9-0 record, the first team in NHL history to start the year with nine straight regulation victories. A victory on Tuesday would see the Canadiens join the 1993-94 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 2006-07 Buffalo Sabres as the only teams to start a season with 10 straight wins.

So why are the Canadiens so hot?

Carey Price: The goaltender is coming off an MVP season and hasn’t missed a beat. In seven starts, Price leads the league in wins and is top in shutouts (2). He’s has a 1.29 goals against average and a .961 save percentage and has only given up nine goals in seven games.

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Improved special teams: The Habs have posted a 90.9 penalty-kill percentage and are eighth in power-play efficiency at 22.9 per cent. Last season, the team was 23rd with an efficiency of 16.5 per cent.

Lines are working: All four lines are contributing so far this season. No longer does Max Pacioretty have to carry the load, as the third and fourth lines are adding to the scoring including Torrey Mitchell, who has three goals to start the season. The addition of Alexander Semin and Tomas Fleischmann has added size to the second and third lines. Nine different players have scored so far this season.

Out in front for good: In nine games, The Habs have only trailed a team for less than three minutes. As NHL.com points out, the Canadiens played 324 minutes without giving up the lead. The deficit only lasted two minutes and 57 seconds.

Schedule: The Canadiens have faced at least two teams that have been off to a slow start this season. Facing the lowly Leafs twice in nine games may have helped the Habs to continue their winning ways, not to mention the Buffalo Sabres, who have won just two games.

Global’s David Shum contributed to this post.