A meaningless goal by Bolduc: this time, there was nothing Patrick Roy could do about it

Raphael Simard
A meaningless goal by Bolduc: this time, there was nothing Patrick Roy could do about it
Credit: X

With their impressive 4-1 win over the Islanders, the Habs have tied the Sabres for first place in the division. Unfortunately for Martin St-Louis's team, they don't hold the tiebreaker against the Sabres.

Nor against the Lightning, for that matter.

Montreal therefore does not control its own destiny, and the team will need to earn at least one point in Philadelphia to have any hope of finishing first in its division. It won't be easy; Buffalo faces the second-worst team in the NHL (the Blackhawks) and the Stars, while Tampa Bay takes on the Rangers and the Red Wings.

Regardless, Montreal will enter the playoffs with confidence and with several players having reached significant milestones:

On Thursday, Cole Caufield scored his 50th goal and Juraj Slafkovsky reached the 30-goal mark;

Tonight, Nick Suzuki reached the 100-point mark for the season;

David Reinbacher recorded his first point in his first game.

Lane Hutson, too, pulled off a major feat. He recorded an assist to reach the 66-assist mark this season. The NHL's 27th-leading scorer has thus tied Larry Murphy for the most assists by a team defenseman in a single season.

Last year, Hutson had 66 points. This season, he has 66 assists. He will therefore have one game left to break the record.

It's been a big week for the team's star players, all of whom rank among the top 38 scorers in the NHL.

For Zachary Bolduc, the week hasn't been so straightforward. He was benched several times, but tonight, he put in a strong performance. He finished the game with a goal and an assist.

He gave himself a strong case to stay in the lineup for the season's final game. With just seconds left in the game, he scored his team's fourth goal. The last time he scored an inconsequential goal was also against the Islanders, but on that night, Patrick Roy had argued the call.

This time, for obvious reasons, Roy couldn't do anything about it.

But whether it's Roy or Peter DeBoer, the Islanders just can't beat the Canadiens. This win at the Islanders' home arena did, however, end a five-game losing streak for the Habs.

And with this loss, New York is eliminated. Remember that at the trade deadline, Mathieu Darche was traded for a first-round pick (the Avalanche's) to acquire Brayden Schenn.

In fact, neither New York team (Rangers or Devils) is making the playoffs. That's not good for the NHL.

In closing, I'd like to talk about Reinbacher. He had an assist, yes, but it was his composure that impressed me. He didn't look like a defenseman playing his third game in as many nights and his first in the NHL.

He played 11:17 minutes, had two shots on goal, delivered one hit, and blocked two shots. He also finished with a +1 rating. A good start for him, earning him another game on Tuesday against the Flyers.


In Brief

– The team's 2023 draft:

– Note.

– The Raptors are in the playoffs.

– Big news.

– MacKenzie Weegar returns to Calgary.

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