2015–16 Montreal Canadiens season
The 2015–16 Montreal Canadiens season was the 107th season of the franchise that was founded on December 4, 1909, and their 99th season in the National Hockey League.[2]
2015–16 Montreal Canadiens | |
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Division | 6th Atlantic |
Conference | 13th Eastern |
2015–16 record | 38–38–6 |
Home record | 22–16–3 |
Road record | 16–22–3 |
Goals for | 221 |
Goals against | 236 |
Team information | |
General manager | Marc Bergevin |
Coach | Michel Therrien |
Captain | Max Pacioretty |
Alternate captains | Brendan Gallagher Andrei Markov Tomas Plekanec P. K. Subban |
Arena | Bell Centre |
Average attendance | 21,288 [1] |
Minor league affiliate(s) | |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Alex Galchenyuk Max Pacioretty (30) |
Assists | P. K. Subban (45) |
Points | Max Pacioretty (64) |
Penalty minutes | P. K. Subban (75) |
Plus/minus | Brendan Gallagher (+13) |
Wins | Mike Condon (21) |
Goals against average | Charlie Lindgren (2.00) |
Off-season
On September 18, 2015, it was announced that Max Pacioretty was named the 29th captain after a player vote, with Andrei Markov, P. K. Subban, Brendan Gallagher and Tomas Plekanec as alternate captains.[3][4] Gallagher and Markov will be paired and Subban and Plekanec would be their own pair, with a rotating routine with one pair playing their part at home and the other on the road.[5]
The introduction of rookie goaltender Mike Condon to the main roster also highlighted notable off season moves by the club. After a stellar pre-season performance, Condon was ultimately rewarded for his play, subsequently replacing Dustin Tokarski on the goalie tandem as back-up to starter Carey Price.[6]
Regular season
The team began its regular season on October 7, 2015 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, recording a 3–1 victory.[7] This season also marked the franchise's best start to a campaign with 9 consecutive wins, achieving a record of 9–0–0 over that span.[8] The Canadiens did not suffer a loss until their 10th game of the season, falling to the Vancouver Canucks' 5–1 on October 27.[8]
Despite this, the notoriety of the 2015–16 Montreal Canadiens season had been the extensive amount of injuries which had plagued members of the main roster. At the forefront of this misfortune was starting goaltender Carey Price, who had suffered a lower-body injury during a 4‒3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on October 29, 2015.[9] He was sidelined with the injury until November 20 in a 5‒3 win against the New York Islanders after having missed nine games with a 5‒2‒2 record.[10]
However, on November 25, Price re-aggravated his lower-body injury in a 5‒1 victory against the New York Rangers and did not return for the third period.[11] At the time, Price was expected to miss an additional 6 weeks.[11] Ultimately, Price's return did not actualize, and, on April 6, 2016, the Montreal Canadiens announced that Price would not return for the 2015–16 season. The extent of Price's injury was revealed to be a medial collateral ligament injury (MCL sprain).[12]
On November 22, against the New York Islanders, right winger Brendan Gallagher sustained injuries to his fingers after attempting to block a shot.[13] His injuries required surgery and was expected to miss at least six weeks.[14] Gallagher returned for the 2016 Winter Classic in a 5‒1 win against the Boston Bruins and managed a goal and an assist, also receiving the first star of the game.[15][16]
On March 10, 2016, defenseman P. K. Subban sustained a neck injury after colliding with defenseman Alexei Emelin in a 3–2 win against the Buffalo Sabres.[17] Subban was sent to the hospital as a precautionary measure, but was released the following day with a non-serious injury.[17] On April 6, the club announced that Subban would miss the last two games of the 2015–16 season.[12]
Other notable injuries included those to defencemen Tom Gilbert, Jeff Petry, as well as Nathan Beaulieu. Due to the magnitude of sidelined players, many prospects had gained the opportunity to draw select time in the lineup, with Michael McCarron, Morgan Ellis, Joel Hanley, Darren Dietz, Daniel Carr, Charles Hudon, Brett Lernout, Ryan Johnston, and goaltender Charlie Lindgren all making their respective NHL debuts at some point throughout the season.
The latter half of the Canadiens' season saw them face their worst slump since the 1939-40 season. With this, Montreal missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012. No Canadian team in the NHL made the playoffs that year, marking the first time since 1970 that all Canadian teams in the NHL did not qualify for the postseason.
Standings
Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | y – Florida Panthers | 82 | 47 | 26 | 9 | 40 | 239 | 203 | +36 | 103 |
2 | x – Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 46 | 31 | 5 | 43 | 227 | 201 | +26 | 97 |
3 | x – Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 39 | 211 | 224 | −13 | 93 |
4 | Boston Bruins | 82 | 42 | 31 | 9 | 38 | 240 | 230 | +10 | 93 |
5 | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 38 | 35 | 9 | 32 | 236 | 247 | −11 | 85 |
6 | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 38 | 38 | 6 | 33 | 221 | 236 | −15 | 82 |
7 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 35 | 36 | 11 | 33 | 201 | 222 | −21 | 81 |
8 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 29 | 42 | 11 | 23 | 198 | 246 | −48 | 69 |
Pos | Div | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ME | x – New York Islanders | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 40 | 232 | 216 | +16 | 100 |
2 | ME | x – Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 41 | 27 | 14 | 38 | 214 | 218 | −4 | 96 |
3 | AT | Boston Bruins | 82 | 42 | 31 | 9 | 38 | 240 | 230 | +10 | 93 |
4 | ME | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 35 | 31 | 16 | 33 | 198 | 226 | −28 | 86 |
5 | AT | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 38 | 35 | 9 | 32 | 236 | 247 | −11 | 85 |
6 | ME | New Jersey Devils | 82 | 38 | 36 | 8 | 36 | 184 | 208 | −24 | 84 |
7 | AT | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 38 | 38 | 6 | 33 | 221 | 236 | −15 | 82 |
8 | AT | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 35 | 36 | 11 | 33 | 201 | 222 | −21 | 81 |
9 | ME | Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 34 | 40 | 8 | 28 | 219 | 252 | −33 | 76 |
10 | AT | Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 29 | 42 | 11 | 23 | 198 | 246 | −48 | 69 |
Schedule and results
Pre-season
2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 2–3–2 (Home: 1–2–2; Road: 1–1–0)[18] | |||||||||
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# | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Decision | Attendance | Record | Recap |
1 | September 22 | Toronto | 2–1 | Montreal | OT | Fucale | 21,287 | 0–0–1 | Recap |
2 | September 24 | Washington | 4–3 | Montreal | SO | Condon | 21,287 | 0–0–2 | Recap |
3 | September 25 | Chicago | 5–1 | Montreal | Price | 21,287 | 0–1–2 | Recap | |
4 | September 26 | Montreal | 1–0 | Toronto | Condon | 17,992 | 1–1–2 | Recap | |
5[a] | September 28 | Pittsburgh | 1–4 | Montreal | Price | 18,259 | 2–1–2 | Recap | |
6 | October 1 | Ottawa | 5–2 | Montreal | Price | 21,287 | 2–2–2 | Recap | |
7 | October 3 | Montreal | 4–5 | Ottawa | Tokarski | 17,912 | 2–3–2 | Recap | |
Notes: |
Regular season
2015–16 Game Log[19] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Legend: Win (2 points) Loss (0 points) Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) |
Player statistics
Final stats
Skaters
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Goaltenders
Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
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Mike Condon | 55 | 51 | 3,122:44 | 21 | 25 | 6 | 141 | 2.71 | 1458 | .903 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Carey Price | 12 | 12 | 698:20 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 2.06 | 365 | .934 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ben Scrivens | 15 | 14 | 821:58 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 42 | 3.07 | 447 | .906 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Charlie Lindgren | 1 | 1 | 60:00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2.00 | 28 | .929 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dustin Tokarski‡ | 6 | 4 | 226:10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 3.18 | 98 | .878 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Canadiens. Stats reflect time with Canadiens only.
‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with Canadiens only.
Roster
Suspensions/fines
Player | Explanation | Length | Salary | Date issued | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Zack Kassian | Suspended indefinitely for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program. | 2 months | N/A | October 5, 2015 | [22] |
Awards and honours
Awards
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Milestones
TransactionsThe Canadiens have been involved in the following transactions during the 2015–16 season: Trades
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