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Series: it’s going to take a disaster for the Canadiens to get out of this
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Series: it’s going to take a disaster for the Canadiens to get out of this
Credit: Getty Images
It’s going to take a disaster for the Habs to miss the playoffs.

As long as the Canadiens don’t have a little hook next to their name in the standings, it’s too early to celebrate. But the way things are shaping up, Martin St-Louis’ men can certainly aspire to the playoffs.

Six points ahead of the Rangers is something.

(Credit: Sportsnet)
Tomorrow’s game could have the effect of “eliminating” Detroit from the race – especially if the Canadiens win in regular time. And let’s say the Rangers must start to get hot, too.

Six points ahead with five or six games left to play is really good.

The Rangers and Red Wings can get a maximum of 91 points this season. With seven points in five games, the Canadiens could therefore close the debate and qualify for the playoffs.

Is the team (#DansLeMix to your liking) with more than 84% chance of making the playoffs this morning, according to MoneyPucks?

The Canadiens have not been injured, but it would take a disaster for them to miss the playoffs.

What’s also impressive is that even if yesterday’s win (2-1 in Nashville) was not easily acquired against a team that has been eliminated for a long time, the Canadiens still found a way to win.

Martin St-Louis summed it up well using a baseball pitcher metaphor: even if the team didn’t have their fastball, the players found other ways to win the game.

 

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But what are these ways, exactly?

There are several elements that allowed the Habs to escape with the two points despite the absent players and the useless trip to Nashville after a game at the Centre Bell.

1. Martin St-Louis saw his team concede the first goal and saw Michael McCarron score another. He took the chance to turn the goal around and he was finally right.

Without that, the two-goal deficit would have been difficult to catch up. But there, Cole Caufield tied the game and the Habs held on. Big decision by the coaching staff, clearly.

2. If the Canadiens managed to win the game, it’s partly because of Jakub Dobes. The Habs’ #2 goalie doesn’t play often these days, but yesterday, he found a way to make up for his last more difficult outings by winning a big game on the road.

Was he perfect? Technically, not at all.

But the NHL is a league of results (except when a team is rebuilding) and yesterday, the goalie only allowed one goal. It wasn’t the most beautiful performance by a goalie in history, but he did the job in a game where the opponents had 20 more shots (37 against 17) than the Habs.

He understood the importance of the moment. And in his eyes, the Canadiens are ready for the playoffs.

3. Did Mike Matheson make a mistake on the Preds’ first goal? Yes. But I still think his importance in the defensive brigade is underestimated.

Yesterday, the Habs were playing not to lose their lead and Matheson played for 31:46, including long minutes on the penalty kill. He is really important for the Habs.

Alexandre Carrier played for 25:56 in his return to Nashville. Lane Hutson? 21:33. Kaiden Guhle? 19:08.

Even among the forwards, Christian Dvorak (19:57), Josh Anderson (17:59), and Nick Suzuki (18:39) were used a lot. Martin St-Louis needed to protect his lead and the best players played.

4. To get their fifth straight win in a game that was tough, the Canadiens needed their two purest scorers to step up. Cole Caufield (36th goal and 66th point, a career high in both cases) and Patrik Laine (20th goal this season) found the back of the net.

And for the first time in 10 years, the Habs have four 20-goal scorers in a season.

5. Nick Suzuki got his 84th point of the season and is one point away from surpassing Alex Kovalev for the best individual season for a player since 2007-2008 in Montreal. #Machine

Lane Hutson had his 64th point (the best season of Andrei Markov, for what it’s worth) and is one point away from surpassing Chris Chelios for the most points for a rookie defenseman in the history of the Montreal Canadiens. #Calder

6. Yesterday, there’s a player we didn’t talk about much: Justin Barron. He was facing his old team, but the playoff race and Alexandre Carrier’s return to Nashville took over.

Barron still played over 18 minutes on the ice.


overtime

The Canadiens (who are back home… until they go to Washington?) will have the day off today and tomorrow, the team will face the Red Wings in a very important divisional game. For the playoffs, it’s not bad, it’s probably the Red Wings’ last chance, let’s say it.

Which injured players will be in uniform for the Habs?

(Credit: NHL.com)
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