When the Montreal Canadiens stepped on to the Bell Centre ice to face the Washington Capitals on December 3, they were entering a battle for Eastern Conference supremacy. They knew they would be facing a team with significant offensive firepower, and a goaltender with a tendency to mercilessly deny his opponents.
A stumble against a team of Washington's calibre is typically not a matter of great concern. But what they could not have known, entering that game, was just how steep the decline was just beyond that well-fought loss.
It was this Washington team that kick-started Montreal's miserable December, with the tricolore having won only one of the ten games they've played in since losing three weeks ago.