Is there any team lower than the Montreal Canadiens? With 10 games played in December, the Canadiens are 3-6-1 for a whopping seven points, and now, they head out for a seven-game road trip that will take them through the New Year before ultimately, and perhaps mercifully, returning home on Jan. 3. Accompanying the team as usual will be Andrei Markov for their first game against the New York Islanders on Saturday night, but for the first time since their first game, Markov will lace up the skates.

Markov is returning from a lacerated tendon in his foot and will join teammate Ryan O’Byrne on the blue line. This is the same pair that was on the ice at home against those Islanders on Nov. 24, 2008. O’Byrne, with the puck on his stick, felt pressure from Doug Weight caving in on him, and he threw the puck back to Carey Price, but due to a delayed penalty call, Price wasn’t there. O’Byrne scored on his own net and the Canadiens wound up losing 4-3. That moment seems to have defined the Canadiens since and this current losing streak and upcoming road swing bodes poorly for the struggling Habs.

The road trip will be the longest the Canadiens have to endure this season, with stops in New York, Atlanta, Carolina, Toronto, Ottawa, Tampa Bay and Florida. During that time, they’ll be looking to players like Tomas Plekanec and Mike Cammalleri to continue putting up points, but most importantly, Price needs to find a way to keep his team on the winning side. His 2.75 GAA ranks 28th while his .912 save percentage has him in 22nd compared to the rest of the league. These are not good enough numbers to attach to a number one goalie.

The positive in their losing streak is that four of the five losses were one-goal defeats, the fifth being a two-goal loss to Minnesota. The positive in their seven game road trip is that four of their seven opponents have equal or lesser points in the standings. The Canadiens can turn things around here before the New Year, but a minimum nine or 10 points during this trip is necessary, and for a team playing as poorly as the Habs are, that isn’t going to be easy.