Game 73: Montreal Canadiens @ Florida Panthers
Start time: **1:00 PM EDT / 10:00 AM PDT**
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Panthers region: Scripps
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
On March 10, it was announced that Aaron Ekblad had been suspended for 20 games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy. The Florida Panthers would therefore be without their most-used defenceman until the third game of the opening round of the playoffs. Perhaps anticipating that such a sentence was coming down, the Panthers acquired Seth Jones from the Chicago Blackhawks ahead of the trade deadline. Out of the lineup went a player who was averaging 23:30 per game for the team, in came one who has played 25:30 while Ekblad serves his time.
The minute-eating aspect of the two blue-liners’ play may be similar, but they’re not proving to be level in terms of talent. Ekblad was scoring at about a half-point-per-game pace at the time of his suspension, and the Panthers, despite also missing Matthew Tkachuk to an injury sustained while playing on Team USA, had authored a six-game winning streak. Jones’s experience with the defending Stanley Cup champion has been very different. His new team in 4-4 in his time there, and three of the wins have required extra time. It seems that the fatigue from a compressed schedule isn’t just impacting the clubs in the wild-card battle, but also the team that had just over two months of off-season following its Cup win.
The battle that Florida finds itself in is a three-way fight with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning to win the Atlantic Division and avoid a matchup with one of those other clubs in the opening round. This competition is just as tight as the one for the final wild-card spot, and will also come right down to the wire.
| Canadiens | Statistics | Panthers |
|---|---|---|
| 33-30-9 | Record | 44-25-3 |
| 47.7% (25th) | Scoring-chances-for % | 55.0% (2nd) |
| 2.97 (16th) | Goals per game | 3.14 (12th) |
| 3.35 (26th) | Goals against per game | 2.69 (9th) |
| 20.9% (20th) | PP% | 24.1% (10th) |
| 80.3% (13th) | PK% | 81.2% (10th) |
| 2-0-0 | Head-to-Head Record | 0-2-0 |
The Canadiens will have to wait until next season to join this battle for the division, but that hasn’t stopped them from claiming a 5-3 record over the three clubs in question so far, including winning the first two meetings with the Panthers. Clearly neither team is at its best as they get set for a home-and-home series to wrap up this year’s head-to-head slate, but each has its own reasons to take the two points from this matinée match.
On Friday night, the coaching staff attempted to ease Kaiden Guhle back into the lineup after a two-month absence, giving him some of the least time on ice he’s played this season, and even going with seven defencemen as a precaution. The staff and Guhle himself are now confident that he can handle the rigours of a game situation, so such a light deployment won’t be necessary going forward. That’s good news for some of the other other defencemen who are feeling the effects of a long season, not only looking slow but beginning to make some mental errors that result in chances and goals.
As pundits weigh the cases of the top rookies in the Calder Trophy discussion, it should be noted how steady Lane Hutson has been even as he prepares for his 73rd game. During this road trip he has been the team’s best player, at times working single-handedly to pull the team into the fight. Most rookies hit a wall as they approach the end of their first season of NHL action, but Hutson, who never even misses an optional skate for the Canadiens, is showing few signs of letting up as the season enters its final couple of weeks. We can just add it to the growing pile of surprises he’s given everyone in his first year as a pro. If the Canadiens are going to find a second wind and turn this run in the second half of the season into a playoff berth, it will probably be the indefatigable Hutson and a revitalized Guhle who lead the team from the blue line.
For a brief moment last night after the New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets had lost their games, the Canadiens had actually moved back into a playoff spot thanks to having more regulation wins than Columbus; a perfect summary of this wild-card battle (which I’ve now dropped to an 88-point projection) when a team that didn’t even play gained ground in the standings. But temporary it was because the New York Rangers beat the San Jose Sharks, moving to 77 points in two more games played than Montreal. To take that spot back, the Habs need to get the win in Sunrise this afternoon.
Record needed for 88 points
- (8) New York Rangers: 5-2-1 (77 pts., 8 GR)
- (9) Montreal Canadiens: 6-3-1 (75 pts., 10 GR)
- (8) Columbus Blue Jackets: 6-3-1 (75 pts.,10 GR)
- (11) New York Islanders: 6-2-2 (74 pts., 10 GR)
- (12) Detroit Red Wings: 6-0-2 (74 pts., 9 GR)
