The Habs looked to finish up January on a winning note as they hosted Minnesota on Thursday. But instead, they were completely shut down offensively, ultimately falling 4-0.

The Habs lost Tuesday’s game against Winnipeg along with defenceman Kaiden Guhle who exited with a lower-body injury.  He underwent successful surgery to repair a lacerated quadriceps muscle and is out indefinitely.

Montreal started off strong on Tuesday against Winnipeg, getting out to an early lead. But that was all they could muster up offensively as they lost 4-1 and lost a key player along the way with an injury.

This past week wasn’t a particularly strong one for the Habs as some of their early-season defensive struggles returned. Nonetheless, they still managed to pick up three points along the way to stay within striking distance of a Wild Card position in the East.

The Habs pulled off another comeback on Saturday night, coming back from two goals down to force overtime against New Jersey. However, in the extra session, Jack Hughes scored on a breakaway to give the Devils the 4-3 win.

The second quarter of the season was much better for the Habs who played themselves back into the playoff picture. Not surprisingly, our writers assigned some better grades. We begin with the goalies and defencemen.

After a big win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday, the Habs were in Detroit on Thursday to take on the Red Wings. But instead of carrying over the momentum, this was a letdown game for Montreal as they fell 4-2.

Montreal got off to a sluggish start on Tuesday against Tampa Bay, trailing by two early in the second. However, they got those back quickly and then Jake Evans potted the winner with just 2:15 in regulation for the 3-2 victory.

While last week saw the Habs lose a tough one after blowing a big early lead, they also picked up three victories to help keep pace in their surprisingly strong run to get back into the playoff discussion.