Earlier this evening, as the game between the New Jersey Devils and Montreal Canadiens was just getting under way, I joined Leigh-Anne Power on CJAD's "The Locker Room" with Abe Hefter.

One of the questions was whether or not the Habs still had a chance for the playoffs. Leigh-Anne was a certain no, while I remained optimistic, given the team's recent fortune and a series of upcoming games which they can compete against and steal some points.

Well folks, the optimism level came crashing down with Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Devils. A lack of shots on goal, especially in the first period, coupled with three Devils goals that were redirected and/or screened and the typical Montreal appearance of Martin Brodeur all factored in to the loss.

We know it was bad when Ryan White had five hits, and the Canadiens only had six shots on goal.

It didn't help Montreal's case either that the Devils blocked 33 shots for their goaltender or that Randy Cunneyworth's shutdown trio was on the ice for all three Devils goals. Looking at their Corsi numbers, Tomas Plekanec, Rene Bourque and Mathieu Darche were the three worst forwards on the Habs.

Oh and another note for RC, long passes don't work against the Devils defense. They haven't in nearly 20 years!

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The Montreal Canadiens are clearly not giving up on the playoffs, at least the players aren't. Their GM might be looking to be a seller, given Friday afternoon's trade but the ones remaining are giving it their best shot.

Despite being outgunned on the Corsi/Fenwick side of things by the Sabres, the Canadiens took advantage of their opportunities and had a bit of luck along the way.

Even with the departure of their penalty kill shutdown man Hal Gill, the Habs foiled all three Buffalo Sabres power play chances in a 4-3 shootout win.

Max Pacioretty and David Desharnais were both successful in their shootout attempts on Ryan Miler, where the Sabres netminder thought he had initially stopped both attempts only to find the puck trickle behind him. Carey Price stopped Brad Boyes and Jason Pominville's attempts to pick up the win.

The Canadiens regulation scoring came from a trio of players that many fans and media practically want out of town. Tomas Kaberle, Scott Gomez and Chris Campoli each doubled their goal outputs in the 2011-12 NHL season, with their second goals of the season. Had Andrei Kostitsyn potted a goal, and he had his chances, the media would have dubbed it a trade showcase.

Montreal's victory drops the Sabres into the Eastern Conference cellar, while the Canadiens move to within six points of the eighth and final playoff slot.

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The shootout is certainly not a friend to the Montreal Canadiens this season. After battling back from a two goal deficit, the Habs came out on the losing end 4-3 to the Boston Bruins tonight.

Tyler Seguin scored the lone shootout goal, beating Carey Price for win, while Tim Thomas stopped all three Montreal shooters. Strange shootout choice, Canadiens coach Randy Cunneyworth using Lars Eller, who had two shifts in the third period. Something tells me No. 46 may have taken exception to that, just maybe.

On a night of weak officiating at both ends, there were four goaltender interference penalties assessed with two being assigned at both ends on the same sequence.

Montreal picks up a point in the Eastern Conference standings, putting them within six points of the eight place Toronto Maple Leafs. The Canadiens rallying is impressive considering the Bruins were 25-0, when leading by two goals, prior to tonight's game.

"We showed a lot of character, a lot of heart & determination to fight back against a good hockey team." - Josh Gorges

Boston gets bragging rights on the season, winning four of six games between the two clubs. Five games were decided by a single goal.

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Coming into tonight's game, the Carolina Hurricanes had never won a game this season while trailing after forty minutes. They now have one, thanks to a 5-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens.

Riding a four game winning streak, the Canadiens had an excellent chance to make a last ditch effort for a playoff spot. The schedule through the remainder of February is in their favour, and starting off with the lowly Hurricanes should have been a good start.

A weak start, mixed in with some bad judgement, bad luck, and questionable officiating all resulted in a loss where two points will be sorrily missed.

Canadiens center Lars Eller summed it up post game. "We should have had this one. We needed to win this one. We could have been 5 points out of a playoff spot right now," he said. The Danish forward is not counting the team's hopes out just yet, but knows it will be a monumental task adding,"I won't say we're out of it because technically we can still make it but we're making it hard on ourselves."

Cam Ward and Carey Price each made 30 saves on the night, with the former picking up the win on the evening.

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You'd think that when a team is honoring it's all-time scoring leader, that you'd see some offense, right? Well in this case the answer would be no.

Prior to tonight's game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens, the Leafs honored Mats Sundin's No.13 sweater. It was a brief, but heartwarming ceremony, which was concluded by an emotional and motivating speech by Sundin.

With Sundin's words in their minds, and facing their oldest rival, you'd expect some momentum from the home town team. It certainly didn't happen in a 5-0 Canadiens win.

Carey Price made 32 saves on the night for his fourth shutout of the season. Goaltending at the other end was a disaster and pretty well deflated the rest of the Leafs on the night. Toronto held the upper hand in shots and Corsi/Fenwick, but when your goaltender drops the ball, not much else really matters in the end game.

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The struggling Montreal Canadiens were already on a three-game losing streak, headed into Sunday afternoon's action. Things didn't look any more promising for the Habs, who had lost five straight games on Suberbowl Sunday.

Both streaks would end however as the Canadiens blanked the Winnipeg Jets 3-0. The win also gets the team out of the Eastern Conference basement, and had to boost the players' confidence, especially following Saturday's loss by the same score to the Washington Capitals. On this night, every one came to play.

"We're in a big hole, and we need to bring it every game," said center Tomas Plekanec, who had a goal and assist on the afternoon. Plekanec and the rest of the Canadiens know the tradition and heritage of the hockey club, and want to give a solid effort the rest of the season. "It's a matter of pride, and there are no quitters," he said.

It's a positive sign, coming from Plekanec, that the players are willing to make an effort, despite the fact that their playoff chances are all but erased. It essentially says that it will be up to Pierre Gauthier to decide whether or not to keep the squad together and play out the season, or see if any buyers are interested.

Carey Price made 23 saves, including several brilliant ones, on the afternoon for his thrird shutout of the season.

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So let's toss aside the optimism and denial and call it just as it is. The Montreal Canadiens are not a playoff team in the 2011-12 NHL season. It's over folks. This is not a club capable of overcoming an 11 point deficit in the final 0 games in a league that offers a three-point game. To do that they would have to be a team that can finish an opponent handily in regulation, and these guys can't.

Later this evening, the Habs could find themselves dead last in the NHL's Eastern Conference. It falls on whether or not Kirk Muller and the Carolina Hurricanes salvage a point against the Los Angeles Kings.

Abe Hefter, on CJAD's new program "The Locker Room", asked if fans can sit through the remainder of the season with listless, lethargic hockey. Can you?

One has to wonder what the Canadiens will do as a team and what management will do as the Trade Deadline approaches. Sell now, or play out the season and deal with it later?

Will Pierre Gauthier, or whomever is GM at the time, blow up the team and start all over again, just three years after Bob Gainey attempted the same thing? It could very well happen, and if so would push the Montreal Stanley Cup gap past a quarter century. Somehow fans may not be that patient, but given the current state of affairs they may just be expecting it. We now know what fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs have endured the last 44 years.

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Despite being a struggling team in the 2011-12 NHL season, the Buffalo Sabres best asset could still be head coach Lindy Ruff.

Ruff is arguably one of the best game coaches in the NHL, when it comes to reading and adjusting to a game situation, as it progresses.

Another example was demonstrated tonight with the Sabres 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens, but it wasn't as difficult a night for Ruff as usual. The Sabres bench boss quickly adapted to Randy Cunneyworth's two-man fore-check system, and practically nullified any offense in the process.

It was easier for the Sabres that the Canadiens players, with the exception of a small group, seemed to be doing a lot of watching, and not as much skating as the game wore on.

The Sabres dominated the game for 60 minutes, with the Canadiens relying on Carey Price to keep it close. The Habs goaltender, back from the All-Star break, began a bit shaky but finished the night with 37 saves.

In a situation where the Canadiens need every point available to even consider a playoff spot, a win tonight against the Sabres was a must win. They didn't get it.

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