Five straight wins in regulation: a first for the Canadiens since 2017

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Five straight wins in regulation: a first for the Canadiens since 2017
Credit: Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images

With yesterday's win, the Canadiens have put themselves in a strong position for the rest of the season.

As of this morning, the Montreal club has a 99% chance of making the playoffs. They hold an eight-point lead over the Senators, the first team outside the playoff picture in the East.

There are nine games remaining in the Canadiens' season.

(Credit: NHL.com)

What has greatly helped the Canadiens is the fact that they've won their last five games. And even better: they haven't dropped a single point, winning all five in regulation.

This is the first time since 2017 that the Canadiens have won five straight regular-season games. It comes at a good time, let's say.

The team can't let up, and they can't tell themselves that losing games from here on out isn't a big deal. We all know it wouldn't be the end of the world, but the guys in the locker room can't think that way.

But clearly, the recent games have helped take some pressure off the team.

Yesterday's game is a good example of the fact that the Habs are capable of stepping up and winning hockey games. The Canadiens really didn't start the game well, but they found a way to win it in the end.

That said, they'll have to learn not to just rely on Jakub Dobes to stay in games and win.

Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield worked their magic, which is good news. Without them, the Canadiens would have struggled to win on a regular basis, let's be honest.

But luckily for Martin St-Louis, NiCole is there.

Neither of them earned the game-winning assist, though, as Arber Xhekaj got it. Why? Because upon his return to the lineup, he agreed to play on offense.

He only played five minutes, but we have to tip our hats to him. That transition—which many have been calling for for a long time—isn't easy to pull off on March 29.

Who said the Habs had too many forwards?

I don't expect the team to repeat the experiment, since time was against the Canadiens yesterday, which won't necessarily be the case moving forward. But it's a card Martin St-Louis can play.


In a nutshell

– Will the captain win the Selke?

– Of course.

– The Habs player is 22 years old.

– Already?

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