1. Jordie Benn is proving to be a great acquisition
It was a foregone conclusion that the Habs needed to improve their defensive unit to make a deep run this season. Since being acquired Jordie Benn has been nearly flawless for Montreal, and is playing a major role in the team’s turnaround. Not only is he providing stability on the bottom pairing with Nathan Beaulieu and Brandon Davidson, he’s taking over Andrei Markov’s time on the penalty kill. Markov is no spring chicken, so giving him time off from killing penalties is allowing Claude Julien to lean on him for more offensive situations and have him be more fresh as the season wears on.