Game 79: Montreal Canadiens @ Ottawa Senators
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In Canada: Sportsnet East/Ontario/West (English)
In the Canadiens/Senators regions: RDS (French)
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, Sportsnet+
The wild-card picture in the Eastern Conference gained some clarity on Thursday night with all four teams immediately behind the Montreal Canadiens in action while the Habs themselves enjoyed a second day of rest.
The first result of the night was a game between the Detroit Red Wings and Florida Panthers in which the Red Wings fell 4-1 for a second straight game after doing the same versus the Canadiens on Tuesday. It dropped their road record to 2-9-1 since the team re-formed following the 4 Nations. Now needing to win out, they have three more games away from home in their final four matches of the season.
A little bit later the horn sounded in Columbus on a 3-2 comeback win by the Blue Jackets. The Buffalo Sabres were looking for a sixth consecutive win, but Columbus needed the win more and made it happen in the final period.
There was no need to wait for the final seconds to tick off the clock on Long Island. The Rangers put four goals on the scoreboard of their rival’s arena in the first 20 minutes, and added five more over the final two periods to complete the blowout win.
Season point projections are no longer necessary to track this race. With one point versus the Ottawa Senators, they would improve to 88, a total that none of the Rangers, Red Wings, and Islanders could match. In other words, claiming a point this evening makes the wild-card battle a two-horse race between the Habs and Blue Jackets.
In order for the Canadiens to take care of business tonight, they will need to beat Ottawa in regulation to set a mark of 89 points and 30 regulation wins that Columbus can only match with a perfect end to its season, and Montreal has already secured the second tiebreaker of regulation and overtime wins.
A win in regulation and the Montreal Canadiens make the post-season.
| Canadiens | Statistics | Senators |
|---|---|---|
| 39-30-9 | Record | 42-30-6 |
| 47.5% (28th) | Scoring-chances-for % | 49.9% (16th) |
| 3.00 (15th) | Goals per game | 2.86 (22nd) |
| 3.21 (24th) | Goals against per game | 2.79 (11th) |
| 20.6% (20th) | PP% | 23.1% (13th) |
| 80.9% (10th) | PK% | 77.6% (20th) |
| 3-0-0 | Head-to-Head Record | 0-3-0 |
It’s probably not a good mindset to approach the final part of the campaign worrying about the minimum you need to do. “Don’t look down” they say when you’re climbing a mountain to avoid being overwhelmed by the peril below, so the Canadiens can keep their eyes upward. All of the teams fighting to stay alive behind Montreal are at least six points behind; the Senators are three points ahead. A regulation win therefore doesn’t only secure their playoff spot, it would move them one point back of Ottawa for the first wild-card. That was too ambitious a goal for the team just a few weeks ago, but with six consecutive wins, it’s at least now a possibility.
Montreal might be encouraged that it’s the Senators they face in their attempt to secure a spot. The Habs have already claimed three regulation wins in the season series, outscoring Ottawa 15-6 in those games with results of 4-1, 5-2, and 6-3. Six of those 15 goals have been scored by Josh Anderson, Christian Dvorak, or Brendan Gallagher, a trio that continues to produce for Montreal. In the 22 games played since the 4 Nations they’ve combined for 19 goals, a significant reason why the Canadiens have been winning so often. If they can create a goal tonight to go with what Nick Suzuki and Lane Hutson craft in their minutes together, the Habs will be in good shape to realize their pre-season dream of playoff hockey.
