Game 80: Montreal Canadiens @ Toronto Maple Leafs
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet E/O/P, OMNI2, APTN (English), TVA Sports (French)
Streaming: CBC Gem, ESPN+, Sportsnet+
There was a chance for the Montreal Canadiens to take care of their own business last night and clinch a playoff spot with a regulation win. Instead they allowed a goal in the opening 30 seconds, and the Ottawa Senators played too well for the full 60 minutes to allow a comeback to gain a foothold.
However, the advantage of Montreal going on its late six-game winning streak is that they built themselves a bit of a margin to have a few shots at claiming their spot, and their second one comes 24 hours later. Montreal has made the trip to Toronto, where it appears that they will use the same 18 skaters in front of Jakub Dobes.
The situation is the same for Montreal before the day’s action begins with them needing a regulation win to cover of anything the Columbus Blue Jackets can do, but Columbus is starting off the day’s schedule by hosting a Washington Capitals team that just wrapped up the top seed in the Eastern Conference. With that task completed for the Caps, they’ve decided to rest both Alexander Ovechkin and Jakob Chychrun for today’s afternoon game, making things a bit easier for the Blue Jackets in their quest to win out over the remainder of their season.
All of the Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, and New York Islanders play afternoon games, and Montreal will know what its situation is before puck drop at Scotiabank Arena. The only result they really need to pay attention to is what happens in Columbus, because that is the team most likely to deny them their place. One point still eliminates all of Detroit and the New York teams. If the Blue Jackets fail to win in regulation, any type of two-point result will work for Montreal. If the Blue Jackets claim less than two points, a one-point result is all Montreal will need to see playoff hockey at the Bell Centre.
| Canadiens | Statistics | Maple Leafs |
|---|---|---|
| 39-31-9 | Record | 48.26-4 |
| 47.5% (28th) | Scoring-chances-for % | 48.6% (22nd) |
| 2.99 (15th) | Goals per game | 3.26 (8th) |
| 3.23 (24th) | Goals against per game | 2.88 (13th) |
| 20.4% (21st) | PP% | 26.0% (6th) |
| 81.1% (10th) | PK% | 77.8% (20th) |
| 1-2-0 | Head-to-Head Record | 2-1-0 |
The Habs shouldn’t be doing a great deal of scoreboard watching because they have to address their own business. It was another slow start on Friday night, a bad habit they’ve had for a couple of weeks now. Those hadn’t mattered in the previous games as they always found a way to come back for the win, but it finally bit them with a playoff berth on the line. That missed opportunity should inspire a better effort from everyone involved.
The power play continues to have difficulty taking advantage of the opportunities it gets for a quick strike, now down to 21st in the league at just over 20% after failing to score in the past six matches. It cost the Habs a chance to at least get closer to the Senators last night when it failed to convert on back-to-back opportunities. The Maple Leafs aren’t a strong penalty-killing team, and tonight they will be forced to defend with just five defencemen at their disposal as they’ve run out of cap space to bring in a replacement for the injured Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Their most-used defence on the man disadvantage, Jake McCabe, is also out with an injury, so there is a chance for the Canadiens to make better use of their special-teams time tonight.
Toronto is in a battle of its own as it sits just two points up on the Tampa Bay Lightning for top spot in the Atlantic Division. Falling from that perch could be the difference between playing the Senators in the opening round and facing the defending champion Florida Panthers instead. It’s going to be tougher to get the win with one less skater in the battle, but the Maple Leafs have the offence to outscore any defensive issues, improve their title odds, and lower Montreal’s playoff chances at the same time.
