Canadiens' struggles magnified by back-to-back losses to Blue Jackets
Deja vu.
The Columbus Blue Jackets swept the home-and-home against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday with another 5-2 victory.
Boone Jenner, Scott Hartnell, Brandon Dubinsky, Cam Atkinson, and Brandon Saad all scored for the Blue Jackets as the Canadiens head into the All-Star break having given up 10 goals in back-to-back losses to the league's lowest-ranked team.
Chin up Habs fans, other teams have slumped and bounced back. Take Columbus. Awful team, but got two easy wins by wait I'm doing this wrong.
- Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) January 27, 2016
Ben Scrivens struggled in net once again, surrendering four goals on 25 shots. He is now winless in all four of his starts for the Canadiens with a terrible 3.85 GAA and .873 save percentage.
The Canadiens aren't helping their cause offensively either. Since Dec. 1, Montreal has scored a league-worst 48 goals in 25 games - numbers that could go from bad to worse after a scary incident in the second period.
Related: Canadiens' Pacioretty 'will be fine' after being hit by Subban slapper
Leading goal-scorer Max Pacioretty left the game and did not return after taking a slap shot to the face from teammate P.K. Subban.
It was a difficult night as a whole for Subban. Despite taking over the team lead in points with a pair of assists on goals by Devante Smith-Pelly and Alex Galchenyuk, the 26-year-old defenseman made two costly turnovers leading to goals by the Blue Jackets, earning boos from the Montreal faithful.
With a record of 2-7-1 in their last 10 games, and 15-22-4 since their 9-0-0 start to the season, the Carey Price-less Canadiens head into a seven-day break searching for answers. Following a pair of disappointing losses to a likely lottery team, it's evident that time to find them is running out.
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