Habs in six

Sometimes, in sports, you lose games you should have won. This has happened a few times to CF Montreal in recent weeks…

But other times, you also win games you don’t deserve to win. This happened to the Habs last night in Nashville.

The Preds dominated the game 37-17 in shots on goal, but Jakub Dobes was at the top of his game (and luck) in front of the Habs’ net. Result: the Habs players left Tennessee in the early hours of the night with two more points in the bank.

The Habs, thanks to this fifth consecutive win, have taken a serious option on eighth place in the East, the last rank giving access to the playoffs.

The Habs have between 84.2% and 90.7% chance of extending their season after their 82nd game this morning. Wow!

84.2%: probability of seeing the Habs in the playoffs according to MoneyPuck.

90.7%: probability of seeing the Habs in the playoffs according to HockeyReference.

— Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) April 7, 2025

I know, they wouldn’t even be close to making the playoffs if they were in the West, but they’re in the East, our Habs…

What’s great about this group of players is that everyone participates in the war effort. Everyone except maybe Joshua Roy, but anyway…

It’s only a matter of time before he’s sent back to the American League…

The team’s most talented young players are leading the group: Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Kaiden Guhle, and Lane Hutson.

The veterans are showing the way: Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson (back after missing a game to attend the birth of his first child), Joel Armia (who’s playing injured), David Savard (who’s giving it his all on the ice), Mike Matheson, Alexandre Carrier, Jake Evans, and Samuel Montembeault.

And all the depth players are giving it their all when they’re called upon to jump on the ice.

Yesterday, the Habs played with five left-handed defensemen. Two of them had to play on the right. David Savard, who had just played five games of about 10 minutes each, had to leave. He’s being evaluated daily.

Arber Xhekaj had to return to the lineup after watching four games from the press box. Since the night he made a mistake by pinching to give a giveaway, he hadn’t been in the lineup.

Yesterday, Xhekaj didn’t even play 10 minutes, but he still found a way to help the team: four hits and a blocked shot.

In short, he was used as a sixth defenseman, and a sixth defenseman doesn’t play much in the playoffs (or in games that get you to the playoffs).

You know what? I wouldn’t bet my house on David Savard being injured. Maybe he’s just a bit banged up, and having him travel to play a second game in two nights was unnecessary, given that the sixth defenseman doesn’t even play 10 minutes currently? Maybe they should have found a way to keep Xhekaj on his feet?

I’d put some cash on him being present tomorrow at the Bell Centre, though.

Jayden Struble (11:13), Olivier Kapanen (7:36), Jakub Dobes (a first start in a long time), Michael Pezzetta (4:39)… everyone has accepted their role with the Habs right now, and nobody seems to be complaining.

Martin St-Louis has won his bet, and that’s where a team can really be dangerous once the playoffs start.

A dozen or so players who decide to form a team and accept that each has a different role can do some damage.

The key to achieving this is to communicate well and be transparent. Kudos to Martin St-Louis and his staff for that!

Kapanen, Pezzetta, Xhekaj, Dobes, Savard… they don’t know when they’ll be called upon to help the team again, but one thing’s for sure: when they jump on the ice, they’ll give it their all. Because that’s how it works in sports…

Habs in six!