MONTREAL - If you want an indication of how quickly things can change in today's NHL, take a look at the Los Angeles Kings who since coming into town at 13-7-0 as the division leader find themselves in 10th spot in the West, tied for last in their division. It's only been a week...

A quick glimpse at the Pacific division reveals a margin of three points between the leading Dallas Stars and the last place Kings and Sharks. It is far and away the closest division in all of hockey, but you'll notice the general conference standings are ridiculously close as well.

The Capitals lead the league in points with 36, but they've played three more games than the Red Wings, who have 34.

Several teams are threats to be Eastern Conference leaders: Philly is 2 points behind Washington having played the same amount of games, the Canadiens are five points behind with a game in-hand, the Penguins have 34 points in one more game than the Capitals and the Lightning have the same amount of points as the Canadiens having played one more game.

Looking at the rest of the Eastern playoff picture: Atlanta's won 6-straight for 29 points in 25 games, the Rangers have as many points as Atlanta in 26 games, and the Boston Bruins are in 8th place with 26 points having only played 22 games.

In the West, the difference between 2nd place Dallas and 12th place Nashville is a mere four points.

There are no runaways at the top, even if it seems to be a foregone conclusion that Detroit is the cream of the crop. They may be ahead, but they hold no dramatic lead over other conference contenders, and as you saw with the Los Angeles Kings, things can turn full circle in a week.

Simply, there are more teams in the race this year, and given the tension of the standings, especially near the top, there are more Stanley Cup contenders. Either that, or it's harder to assess who actually does own claim to being a contender.

It brings us to the context of this week, in which your Canadiens open against an Oilers team with the second-worst record in the league. It ends with a matinee against a Sharks' team that is infinitely better than its current standing and record, but not before the Habs have to slug it out in the swamps of Jersey--against a team that's been an utter disaster this season, but one that is always considered the favorite against the Canadiens.

The Canadiens haven't strung together consecutive wins since a 4-game streak, in which they beat Vancouver, Philadelphia, Boston and Carolina. That was two weeks ago, and since they've traded losses and wins with the Predators and Leafs, with the Flyers and Kings, and finally, with the Thrashers and Sabres last weekend.

If they were to stay on pattern and lose to the Oilers tonight, that would certainly put an immense amount of pressure for them to perform in New Jersey, where they've been categorically bad for the last 15 years. Everyone recognizes a matinee against the San Jose Sharks Saturday will hardly be a walk in the park.

As you likely know by now, the Habs have only lost consecutive games once this season. That's a miracle when you reassess all the information above. In this league you can't afford losing streaks.

So expect a stellar effort tonight, against an Oilers team that represents a huge trap for the Canadiens. The Canadiens don't have a choice with Tampa, Atlanta, New York and Boston nipping at their heels.

Conversely, three wins this week could have the Habs challenging for top spot in the conference.