Following an impressive win against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night, the Montreal Canadiens sat back on Sunday and watched both Carolina and Columbus play their games in hand. The Blue Jackets cruised to an easy 4-0 win in Buffalo, while the Hurricanes were defeated by the Penguins 3-1. The three teams are now all at 79 games, with a race to the finish in the final week ahead.
Columbus remaining games: 2 April: v BOS, 5 April: at NYR, 6 April: at OTT
Carolina remaining games: 2 April: at TOR, 4 April: v NJ, 6 Apr: at PHI
Montreal remaining games: 2 April: v TB, 4 April: at WSH, 6 Apr: at TOR
A glance at the above suggests that the Canadiens have the toughest schedule, with all three opponents this week being playoff bound opposition (whereas Columbus’s only playoff bound opposition is Boston, while Carolina’s lone playoff bound opposition is Toronto). With the Canadiens being behind in points and not having the tie-breaker (fewer regulation and overtime wins), this will prove to be an uphill climb. They will need to win every game, and will also need to rely on some help from the out of town scoreboard.
It will be interesting to see whether Tampa, Washington and Toronto (if it gets that far) will offer the Canadiens any breaks? Tampa’s star defenseman Victor Hedman was injured on Saturday night after a collision with Washington forward Carl Hagelin. He has a history of concussion, and given that Tampa Bay is running away with the league, it may be of no benefit for them to play him the rest of the week. Additionally, Tampa Bay plays Ottawa tonight (1 April) before playing the Canadiens 24 hours later. Andrei Vasilevskiy will start against the Senators, meaning that the Canadiens will likely face back up Eddie Pasquale. The league’s best team is offering the Canadiens as good of an opportunity to beat them as one would get.
Washington is close to securing the number one seed in the Metropolitan Division, as they sit three points above the Islanders, and should they seal that before Thursday night, they may also field an experimental lineup against the Canadiens.
Toronto is also locked into a first round matchup against the Boston Bruins, thus may not have the desire to field their strongest lineup on 6 April. However, given their recent drop in form, perhaps that game will be a final chance for Leafs head coach Mike Babcock to tinker with his squad and enter the playoffs with a positive mindset. They may also play with the great pleasure of knocking the Canadiens out of the playoffs. Given how poorly they have played down the stretch, and their recent history against the Bruins in the playoffs, it may prove to be their main highlight of the season.
It will prove to be an exciting final week of the regular season, and whether the Canadiens manage to get in or not, they certainly have surprised us all in playing meaningful games this late into the season.
A couple of other notes in anticipation of tomorrow’s game:
- Jordan Weal has been a significant player for the Canadiens since his acquisition at the trade deadline on 25 February, from Arizona (was acquired for Michael Chaput). In 13 games with the Canadiens, Weal has recorded 8 points and has helped stabilize whichever line he has been on. Playing with Jonathan Drouin and Joel Armia on Saturday night against Winnipeg, he helped generate 4 of the Canadiens 9 high danger scoring chances, and was close to 60% in the faceoff circle. He has also been an important player on the powerplay. This has proven to be one of the best trade deadline acquisitions, and will be interesting whether the Canadiens bring him back next season, for his ability to adapt into any offensive or defensive situation.
- Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who was scratched on Saturday for the third time this season, was placed on the left wing of Nate Thompson. Given how well Weal has integrated into the team, and how important he has been in faceoffs and defensive assignments, it will be interesting to watch how much Julien uses Kotkaniemi in the final week. Surely a place on the 4th line (at wing, no less) will rankle some feathers in the Canadiens fan base.
- Paul Byron, who was concussed against Florida last week and missed the last two games, skated on Thompson’s right side. His return to the lineup will be important, given his speed, his versatility and his role on the penalty kill (which the Canadiens did not require once against Winnipeg, as they took no penalties!)
- Canadiens signed both Ryan Poehling and Cayden Primeau to entry level contracts yesterday, after both players were knocked out of the NCAA tournament. Poehling’s ELC will kick in immediately, and as a result he burns one year of his contract, which was beneficial for him (and was probably one of the reason’s he signed). Marc Bergevin was asked whether Poehling will play this week for the Canadiens, and the impression was that he would likely only play if the Canadiens fell out of the playoff race. He is in Montreal to soak up the professional hockey environment. Primeau meanwhile will have his ELC kick in for next season, but he has a PTO with the AHL Laval Rocket for the rest of the season. The Canadiens have a glut of young netminders (Lindgren, McNiven, Lacouvee), so it will be interesting to see whether Primeau gets a start or two as the Rocket close down their season.
Jaideep Kanungo
Jaikan Sport 