We may only be a few games into the Montreal Canadiens’ 2023-24 season, but so far a good portion of it has been spent with a player in the penalty box.
According to updated data from statmuse.com, the Canadiens are the most penalized team in the entire NHL this year with a total of 85 penalty minutes. While it’s probably not a good list to be at the top of, the real problem lies with how much less every other team has accumulated.
As of now, the Caroline Hurricanes have the honours of being a distant second on the PIM leaderboard with 68 collective minutes in the box. The Minnesota Wild, who beat the Canadiens 5-2 on Tuesday night are right behind them with 67.
And funnily enough, the Boston Bruins, Montreal’s historic rival, are on the opposite end of the spectrum with just 27 penalty minutes over their first two games, less than any other team.
statmuse.com
To make matters worse, the Habs’ penalty-killing unit is only operating at a 73.7% efficacy rate, which means they are giving up a fair bit of goals while shorthanded.
Maybe there’s a lack of discipline on Montreal’s part or just some bad puck luck, but it’s clear that something needs to change.
Last year, the Ottawa Senators claimed the top spot on the PIM list with 1,017. The Canadiens finished fifth in penalty minutes with a total of 955 minutes in the box.
Their most penalized player in 2022-23 was rookie defenceman Arber Xhekaj, who logged 101 penalty minutes over a span of just 51 games. He’s on track to surpass that number this season, already sitting for 21 minutes in just three games.
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