It’s been over two years since the Canadiens beat the Senators

Tonight, the Canadiens travel to Ottawa for the 80th game of their season. After that, it will play two games against the Red Wings on Monday and Tuesday (the first in Michigan, the second in Montreal), and then its season will be over.

Lane Hutson won’t be playing tonight, but we could see him Monday night andshould see him Tuesday night.

Yesterday lunchtime, our colleague Charles-Alexis Brisebois wrote about the fact that, as the season draws to a close, the game the Habs should ideally lose is tonight’s. If they win in the second half of the season, the Habs will be in the driver’s seat. If they win in regulation time, it would be a major blow to the club’s draft position.

Tankathon makes it sound like the win wouldn’t be productive → https://t.co/i4avGJqDYk

– DansLesCoulisses (@DLCoulisses) April 12, 2024

The good news in the circumstances, that said, is that if the past is any guide to the future, the odds look good that the Tricolore will lose tonight.

The reason? It’s been over two years since the Canadiens last tasted victory over the ~~mighty~~ Senators.

The club has lost its last eight games against its Ottawa rivals, whom it hasn’t beaten since March 19 , 2022.

The Canadiens at their bête noire in Ottawahttps://t.co/v6gpLuf8hA

– RDS (@RDSca) April 13, 2024

That said, the Sens won’t have all their ammunition on hand: Josh Norris has been injured since the end of February, and the injured Tim Stützle won’t be in uniform tonight.

So there are a few holes in the lineup.

How we’re projected to line up against Montreal #GoSensGo | @UpperDeckSports pic.twitter.com/KQq8n4Zagv

– Ottawa Senators (@Senators) April 13, 2024

The Senators are a direct rival to the Habs for the lottery, and while the players on each team don’t want to lose, you’d think fans of each side wouldn’t necessarily be frustrated to see their club defeated tonight.

For the Habs, losing tonight’s game would extend their long losing streak against Ottawa… but winning it would be far more damaging than winning a game or two against the Red Wings in the next few days.

We’ll see if the Tricolore’s losing streak against the Senators continues, but it would almost be a good thing if it did.

At the very least, it would be strategic.

In gusto

– Connor McDavid will miss tonight’s game.

EDM coach Kris Knoblauch says Connor McDavid will not play tonight vs VCR

– Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) April 13, 2024

– News from the Coyotes.

Meruelo agreed to sell the team after he secured a contractual right to reactivate the franchise within 5 years of the date of the agreement and trigger an expansion draft if an arena is built- this would require him to pay back the $1 billion that he is getting from the sale.

– John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) April 13, 2024

– State of play in Toronto.

For Toronto: Liljegren, Domi, Reaves in the lineup tonight. Edmundson out, being “overly cautious” with him, not the same injury as before

– Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) April 13, 2024

– A departure to watch.

The Cuban pitcher will be under pressure in his first major league start. https://t.co/htjPp2eQ1j

– Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) April 13, 2024

– A Ruud-Tsitsipas final in Monte-Carlo.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic found no answer to Casper Ruud in the Monte-Carlo semifinals.https://t.co/EM3V7Wn9So

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) April 13, 2024