Christobal Huet's return to the Bell Centre last night didn't go as planned. Alex Kovalev scored 25 seconds into the game,  he let in 4 goals during the game, and his teammates couldn't score on the 6 powerplays they enjoyed during the game. Carey Price played well in this game, and helped them earn the much-needed 2 points. The Florida Panthers also won last night, keeping pace with the Canadiens. The team is going to need to play well over their last 6 games, and earn points in all of those games to ensure they hold on to a playoff spot. Montreal's only one point behind the New York Rangers, and they've got a game in hand. Florida's one point back, however has one game less to play.

The Canadien's next three games offer a good opportunity to earn some points, as they're a

Continue reading "Price Out-Duels Huet and Helps the Montreal Canadiens to Two Important Points"

Saturday night's 6-2 convincing win over the Toronto Maple Leafs provided the Canadiens with a little breathing room in the race for the playoffs. They moved up to seventh in the Easter Conference standings, with 4 games to play.

THE GOOD: Montreal wins 6-2 against Toronto. Three goals scored on the power play. Balanced scoring as Kovalev, Latendresse, Tanguay, Higgins, Gorges, and Lapierre all score. Halak solid in net for a flu-ridden Price, who's also playing well of late.

THE BAD: Tanguay coughing up the puck to Toronto's Boyd Devereaux, who scored a short-handed goal in the third period.

THE UGLY: The blue line took a serious hit when both Schneider AND Markov left the game with 'upper-body injuries'.

THE RESULT: Montreal is in seventh, 3 points ahead of the eighth place Rangers and Panthers (who are now tied.) They still have one game in hand against both of those teams, and sit only 1 point behind the sixth place Penguins. The Canadiens finish off the season with 4 games in 6 nights, with two of those games against the Rangers and the Penguins.

Continue reading "The Canadiens Move Up to Seventh in the Playoff Race"

The Montreal Canadiens can lock up a playoff spot tonight with a win against the New York Rangers in New York. They gave away their first chance to lock up the spot last night with a 3-2 loss against the Senators, but can redeem themselves tonight. Gainey is putting in Andrei Kostitsyn and Matt D'Agostini, while sitting Georges Laraque and Gregory Stewart. 

The Habs can also make the playoffs tonight with a bit of outside help, but they would be best served by just winning the game outright and earning the berth directly. They were on a 3-game win streak up until the game against the Senators, so a win tonight would help bolster their confidence going in to the home stretch.

Continue reading "Habs Can Lock Up a Playoff Spot Tonight in New York"

Playoffs start on Wednesday, April 15th, with the Montreal Canadiens playing their first game against the Boston Bruins on Thursday, April 16th in Boston. If that last game against the Bruins was any indication, it's going to be a spirited series, with lots of penalties and power plays. Let's see if the Habs can keep up their good power play of late and keep the goals coming.

Montreal's schedule for Round 1 is:

• Thursday, April 16, at Boston, 7pm
• Saturday, April 18, at Boston, 8pm
• Monday, April 20, in Montreal, 7pm
• Wednesday, April 22, in Montreal, 7pm
• * Saturday, April 25, at Boston, 7pm
• * Monday, April 27, in Montreal,TBD
• * Wednesday, April 29, at Boston, TBD

 Check your local tv listings for more details.

Continue reading "The NHL Playoffs Are Finally Here"