Canadiens begin long road trip at hot Jets

It is a battle of Canadian teams when the Winnipeg Jets welcome the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night.

The Jets enter the contest with a lot of things going right for them. They are first in the Central Division despite losing forward Kyle Connor for an extended period, and have collected back-to-back wins against top Western Conference teams, defeating Los Angeles on Wednesday 5-2 and following that up with a Saturday win over the Avalanche 6-2.

"Good control, good forecheck," said Jets forward Alex Iafallo on what's been working for his club, which has won six of its past seven games. "Staying on pucks, good communication. More fun, I guess. Just joking around and making plays ... knowing you're going to have success from it."

Winnipeg netminder Connor Hellebuyck's game is also in top form, which has led the Jets hold their opponents to two goals or fewer for seven straight. Over the past month for goalies who have played more than 10 games, Hellebuyck has the highest save percentage at .943 and the second-best goals-against average at 1.70.

"The team play has been outstanding," coach Rick Bowness said Saturday. "It's been level. We don't let the highs and lows affect us, we just keep playing the same. We want this to continue."

The Canadiens are a team that is still trying to grow into a true contender.

At times this season, the organization has caught glimpses of who it could be. That was very evident on Saturday night during the first two periods of the team's 5-3 win over the Islanders.

After dominating the Isles for the opening 40 minutes and leading 4-0 while outshooting their opponents 36-16, the Habs loosened up their game and allowed New York to score three times as things got real nervous before an empty-net goal sealed the win for Montreal.

"I don't think we're a team where we have superstars. You know, I think we're going with the power of five together and that's what we're trying to do on both sides of the puck," said coach Martin St. Louis on how his club's team play can aid the squad in taking that next step toward being a playoff team.

"That second period shows me that we're on the verge of something ... we're just going to keep getting better as a team, but you see those periods. Our good is really good and we've got to raise our bad."

Saturday represented the final home game of the calendar year for the Canadiens as they head off for seven in a row on the road starting in Winnipeg on Monday. They'll return to Montreal on Jan. 4 to host the Buffalo Sabres.

The Canadiens have had success in other team's buildings this season so far, sitting with a road record of 6-4-2.

"Definitely a point of emphasis before the game," center Nick Suzuki said when asked about the importance of leaving the fans with something positive. "We just have to clean some things up and finish off the road trip."