By this date last year, the Canadiens had as many points in the standings after the same number of games. However, everything collapsed afterward.
Injuries certainly didn't help, but the goaltenders also stopped performing. In short, everything, really everything, started to go wrong at the same time.
This year, even though the record is identical or nearly so, we can see a lot of character from the players and improved maturity from the defense and Samuel Montembeault.
It's also important to note that significant injuries occurred early in the season with players like Kirby Dach and David Savard, among others. Yet, the Canadiens held their ground, sitting just three points out of a playoff spot as of writing.
