by Jocelyne LeBlanc, Staff Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine

MONCTON, N.B. – So far this season, the Montreal Canadiens have played eighteen games and have a record of 12 wins, 4 losses and 2 overtime/shootout losses. They are ranked first overall in the Eastern Conference with 26 points.

Players to Watch for the Week of February 24 to March 2, 2013

The Canadiens will play three games during the week of Sunday, February 24 to Saturday, March 2, 2013. Listed below are a few players to watch during the upcoming week:

P.K. Subban
Subban is currently on a two-game point streak with two assists. He has a total of 8 points (3 goals, 5 assists) in 12 games so far this season.

Max Pacioretty
Although Pacioretty didn’t score during their last game, he did tally seven points in his last five games (four goals, three assists). He is currently ranked second on the team with 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists) in 14 games.

David Desharnais
Despite going pointless in his last game, Desharnais produced five points (one goal, four assists) in his last five games. He has a total of 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) in 18 games so far this season.

Alex Galchenyuk
Rookie Alex Galchenyuk is certainly proving to be a great addition to the Montreal Canadiens. He produced four points (two goals, two assists) in his last four games and is currently ranked third on the team with 12 points (3 goals, 9 assists) in 18 games so far this season.

Lars Eller
This past week was a productive one for Eller, as he tallied four points (one goal, three assists) in his last four games. He has a total of 9 points (2 goals, 7 assists) in 16 games with the Canadiens so far this season.

Goaltending has been a strong point for the Canadiens, especially in their last seven games. Their last regulation loss was eight games ago, on February 9th when the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated them by a score of 6-0. In their last seven games, they only had nine goals scored against them. They also earned three shutouts (Carey Price with two and Peter Budaj with the other one).

Of the twelve goals they scored in the four games they played last week, only two were recorded during the power play. Two of the five goals scored against them last week were recorded while the Canadiens were a man down.

Listed below are their upcoming three games:

Monday, February 25th – Montreal Canadiens at Ottawa Senators

The Canadiens and Senators have played each other twice so far this season with each team winning once. During their last matchup, which was on February 3rd, Erik Cole recorded a goal and an assist. The Canadiens won that game 2-1.

Wednesday, February 27th – Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs
The Canadiens and Maple Leafs have faced each other twice so far this season with Toronto winning both games. In those two games, the Canadiens only scored once, while the Maple Leafs scored eight times. Carey Price was in the net for both games.

Saturday, March 2nd – Pittsburgh Penguins at Montreal Canadiens
This will be the first time this season the Canadiens and Penguins will face each other. They played each other four times last season with Pittsburgh winning three of those games. Last season against the Penguins, Erik Cole produced four points, while Max Pacioretty tallied three.