Still, a 6-1 roadtrip has to be considered a success no matter how ugly each of the wins were (except for Carolina), considering it is a year when the Canadiens typically fall apart.

I truly hope the injuries to everyone are minor, especially Kostitsyn. Just for a little while I'd like to see this team play together, and I'm sure the team's brass would as well. It's hard to assess what you have if you can't evaluate the team as a group.

Markov has been splendid since coming back. There's no other word for it. He's been good defensively (though I think we've seen him better in his own end), but he has been a revelation in the other end. His ability to draw defenders and find the open man is a thing of beauty! He's now 11th in team scoring despite playing only 8 games. Next to surpass will be Spacek, who, with just 12 points in 41 games, probably is not putting up the points that were expected of him.

I'm starting to feel bad for Josh Gorges. His first few games were terrific, but it has been steadily downhill ever since. He is often out of position or overwhelmed by opposing player's size and skill. We could overlook some of that if he was putting up some points, but he isn't doing that either. He needs to just stay at home on defense and concentrate on staying in position, unless he finds a way to grow 3 inches and add 30 pounds.

For the past 2 games, it seems like the Canadiens have answered my wish for secondary scoring. Scott Gomez has snapped to attention over the past couple weeks, and alongside Gionta and Pouliot, seem to have come together to form a legitimate second line. They look good out there together, and now teams have 2 lines to worry about.

The team has also shown the discipline that it has been sorely lacking. The Canadiens "only" took 4 minor penalties last night, and only 3 the night before vs Tampa. Could they also be improving in this department?

I think that as satisfied as we have to be with the result of the road trip, we need to keep in mind how the majority of the victories were obtained – from Halak's goaltending. He was the 1st star of the week last week and with good reason. The Canadiens left him out to dry on most nights due to their coach's brilliant passive system. I guess things sometimes are as simple as "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". We also have to keep in mind the quality of the opposition we played. The Islanders, Thrashers, Hurricans, Leafs, Senators, Lightning and Panthers are not the Penguins, Blackhawks, Devils, Sharks, Capitals, or even the Sabres, who the Habs face next. We've got to be able to beat them at least once, no?