from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

When does a funk become a season-killing slide? The Montreal Canadiens are certainly playing with fire.

The Habs played a whale of game in Montreal on Thursday night, launching 40 shots at Corey Crawford and the Chicago Blackhawks, but losing 2-1 to continue a horrid trek that has seen them lose 14 of their past 19 games. Afterward, Habs captain Max Pacioretty dismissed any silver lining in having mostly outplayed the Hawks, who have now won nine straight. Moral victories are of no use right now, the captain said. "What we need is two points," Pacioretty said.

A popular refrain back on Jan. 1 at the Winter Classic was that perhaps the 5-1 thumping of Boston in front of 70,000-plus on such a huge stage would be a springboard for the Habs. Their players truly believed that. It has not happened. And the killer has been the team's inability to finish off scoring chances.

"We've got to find ways,'' said winger Brendan Gallagher. "We have guys capable of doing it in this locker room. We're not looking for answers from outside. We believe in each other and we still have that belief.'' If you're GM Marc Bergevin, your team is just two points away from the danger zone, are you really still looking to add a piece before Feb. 29, or do you now have to reconsider? Will Carey Price's return after the All-Star break be the only tonic they need?

continue for Custance, Burnside and McDonald for more on the Habs...