The Canadiens enter their game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; MSG, SNE, RDS, NHL.TV) with a 1-6-1 record in their previous eight games and a 12-14-5 record since Dec. 11. It will be Julien's second game since he was hired to replace Michel Therrien last Tuesday, and the urgency to get his first win is rather high.
The game Tuesday is a potential first-round matchup in the Stanley Cup Playoffs assuming the Canadiens can hang on to first place in the Atlantic Division. That seemed like a virtual lock when they had a nine-point cushion at the end of January, but it is in serious question now with the Ottawa Senators sitting two points behind the Canadiens with two games in hand.
The Canadiens have been first in the Atlantic Division all season, but a regulation loss in New York and a Senators win at the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; MSG+, RDS2, TSN5, NHL.TV) would change that and send memories of last season rushing right back in Montreal.
Because he didn't go through it, it's easier for Julien to say last season is in the past and the focus must be on the present.
Brendan Gallagher did go through it, and he mentioned last season without even being asked about it Monday, providing some proof that the experience does linger in at least some of the players' minds.
"I think when we all showed up at the start of the year, the biggest question you guys all asked was what did we learn from last year," Gallagher said when asked to describe the level of urgency among the Canadiens. "I think what we're going through now is that lesson that we learned: Whether you won or lost the game before, you've got to come to the rink with the right attitude and mindset. One day at a time. As cliche as it sounds, you have to stick with the process, and if you believe in it, if everyone who suits up and puts on that sweater every night believes in the process, you'll get to where you want to get to."
A mid-February road game should not be vital for a team that is comfortably in position to make the playoffs, but the mental impact of potentially losing first place in the division might just make the game in New York on Tuesday the most important of the season thus far for the Canadiens.