How important would a good start to the season be for the Montreal Canadiens?

How crucial would it be for Carey Price to get started on the right foot before his team takes to the Bell Centre ice for the first time?

How much do these first four points matter?

Pundits: First games are crucial

We all know the answers to these questions.

But for those of you who don't: scour the blogs, listen to sports radio, turn on your hockey night telecast and read your morning sports section.

The pundits will harmoniously sing that a good start is paramount to the team's success; that Carey Price needs to give the Bell Centre faithful something to cheer about when his team returns from this mini road-trip; that these four points mean as much to the Canadiens as four on the table in April.

The season matters more

But if the Canadiens lose these first two games, the goalies fall on their faces and four points in the standings are split between Toronto and Pittsburgh, don't worry, the world won't stop turning.

That's why there are 82 games in a season.

Outrage and bliss are interchangeable with every bad loss and every great win.

The team's performance will dictate the severity of emotional polarity felt by the fan base and let's hope there's some consistency in either direction.

Don't strive for moderation

To say there won't be ups and downs, whether the team is successful or unsuccessful in its goal of making the playoffs, would be a miscalculation that will make dealing with those peaks and valleys more difficult than it needs to be.

I'm not suggesting you temper your expectations if they're sky-high or raise them from the basement if that's where they reside, but manage them in context of the team's schedule, its health and the competition it faces.

Starting on the road with a depleted lineup

It's not easy to start with two games on the road, let alone two games against teams that will play their first games of the season in front of their home fans.

It's no more important for the Canadiens to win their first game as it is for the Leafs to win their home and season opener.

The task of winning that first game is that much harder when you consider that the Canadiens will be deprived of Mike Cammalleri's, Andrei Markov's and Roman Hamrlik's services.

Carey Price is suffering from the flu and his place in the opening night roster is now in question.

On the other side of the ice is a team that's famished to prove the nation, the league and large parts of its own fan base wrong; a team that believes much more in itself than anyone else does.

Leafs are desperate, Pens want payback

If Brian Burke was willing to guarantee a playoff berth for his squad during last year's exhibition schedule, one can imagine the expectations Leafs management has for the franchise this season; that starts with beating a Canadiens team that'll be missing two or three major components.

What about the Pittsburgh Penguins?

Anyone think they owe the Canadiens a beating?

Anyone think two of the best players in the world in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin aren't out for payback against a team that shut them down in the post-season the way no other team's managed to?

These are the first challenges the Canadiens face.

Add these to the challenges of finding synchronicity and getting the right bounces, and getting these first four points doesn't exactly seem like a walk in the park.

But the pundits are right, these four points are crucial.

It's equally important that Price has a good showing.

What'll be more important than the outcome is that things appear to be in order and not in chaos for the Canadiens.

Try to remain objective in your evaluation and try not to be swayed by those who will try to convince you that the outcome of these first two games will serve as a harbinger of things to come over the following 80.

Stay level...We've got a long road ahead...And try to enjoy it, because it's not worth the emotional investment if you can't!