It’s amazing how reluctant some are to praise the Montreal Canadiens for their efforts thus far, but go through the opening day roster, compare that to the team Jacques Martin iced on Saturday against the Washington Capitals and one might consider it a minor miracle that they sit with a 12-12-2 record after 26 games. All of this without Andrei Markov.

And the reinforcements are slowly on their way. Tomorrow against the Leafs you can expect to see Scott Gomez in action, after missing 4 games with a groin injury. He made sure to deliver the good news Saturday on RDS, in French no less. Add that to the list of things Montreal Canadiens fans can be thankful for…

Matt D’Agostini is closer to a return as well, apparently from a knee injury, and not a concussion as we had all suspected. Maybe he had both…who knows? This is good news for most (bad news if you wanted to see what Jay Leach could do on the fourth line, if given a chance to play more than 1:11).

Anyone excited for Benoit Pouliot to make his Canadiens debut? He likely will at some point this week.

Andrei Kostitsyn? Foot not broken? We’ll take it! Hal Gill is working his way back to practice (perhaps as soon as this week).

Brian Gionta and Andrei Markov are still weeks away from a return, but weeks are better than months, and before you know it this will start to resemble an NHL hockey team soon enough, provided the Canadiens don’t lose any key players in the interim.

Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak: Thanks very much for quality first quarters. Let’s see if you can put this team in favorable position by the end of 17 games in December. Because no one believed they’d be near the picture after Andrei Markov went down in a heap, in game 1 of the season. Because everyone is pleased to write this bunch off, based on the upcoming schedule.
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As for those of the opinion that there is no value in this team making the playoffs, praying for a lottery pick- loser mentality, I feel for you.

If we all agree this year is a year of transition for Gainey’s Canadiens; if it’s a year of development; what would be better for development and transition than a little bit of playoff experience?
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About that schedule:
Tue, 1 Dec 2009 Maple Leafs- Canadiens7:30 PM RDS(HD), TSN(HD)
Thu, 3 Dec 2009 Canadiens -Sabres 7:00 PM RDS(HD)
Fri, 4 Dec 2009 Bruins -Canadiens 8:00 PM RDS(HD), CBC(HD), NHLN-US(HD)
Mon, 7 Dec 2009 Flyers- Canadiens 7:30 PM RDS(HD)
Tue, 8 Dec 2009 Canadiens- Senators 7:30 PM RDS(HD)
Thu, 10 Dec 2009 Penguins- Canadiens 7:30 PM NHLN-US(HD), RDS(HD)
Sat, 12 Dec 2009 Canadiens- Thrashers 7:00 PM RDS(HD), CBC
Mon, 14 Dec 2009 Sabres- Canadiens 7:30 PM RDS(HD), VERSUS(HD)
Wed, 16 Dec 2009 Canadiens- Devils 7:00 PM RDS(HD)
Thu, 17 Dec 2009 Wild- Canadiens 7:00 PM RDS(HD), TSN(HD)
Sat, 19 Dec 2009 Canadiens- Islanders 7:00 PM RDS(HD), CBC
Mon, 21 Dec 2009 Canadiens- Thrashers 7:00 PM RDS(HD)
Wed, 23 Dec 2009 Canadiens- Hurricanes 7:00 PM RDS(HD)
Sat, 26 Dec 2009 Canadiens- Maple Leafs 7:00 PM CBC(HD), RDS(HD)
Mon, 28 Dec 2009 Canadiens- Senators 7:30 PM RDS(HD)
Wed, 30 Dec 2009 Canadiens- Lightning 7:00 PM RDS(HD)
Thu, 31 Dec 2009 Canadiens- Panthers 5:00 PM RDS(HD)

Do the words 5 games in 7 nights mean anything to you? That’s how the Canadiens start December, with a game against the Leafs tomorrow, and then back-to-backs against the Sabres and Bruins, Flyers and Sens, respectively.

The 16th and 17th represent what could be two of the most boring nights of the year, as the Habs face the Devils and Wild back-to-back. Although these games do represent “circle dates” on the calendar, with Gomez and Gionta back in Jersey, and of course Latendresse against Pouliot in Montreal.

After that, the Canadiens have games against the Islanders, Thrashers, Hurricanes and Maple Leafs. It’ll be interesting to see how they deliver in a situation where they’ll be expected to win.

Three games in four nights to finish off the month, and Andrei Markov and Brian Gionta could very well be a part of the equation by then.

So December is make or break, bearing in mind that they’ll have half a season to play thereafter. Can the Canadiens remain within a couple points of the picture, or better yet, find themselves in a playoff spot after December?

Put your prediction out now, and depending on how you see it, you could end up looking like a genius by the time it’s all over.

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