Well, the Montreal Canadiens had to play the Florida Penthers again, and to that point every single game had been a range of chaotic, or just downright bad. The game on Tuesday night leaned closer to the bad side of the scale as the Habs lost 5-2 on home ice.
The Good
The Canadiens lost again and kept a hold on the fifth-best lottery odds heading into the final weeks of the season.
However, the loss came with a pair of big goals on the night, and the opener was the first for Sean Farrell. Just over 80 seconds into the game, Farrell threw a bad-angle shot on net and Alex Lyon misplayed it completely. It was inelegant, but it still crossed the line, giving Farrell his first professional goal, and came at the Bell Centre. It’s the kind of moment this end-of-season run is about: win or lose, these are important moments and make it worth still tuning in.
The night also was capped by another goal from Rafaël Harvey-Pinard. His 14th of the season moves him into a tie for seventh in the NHL among rookie goal-scorers. Quite a contract year for the young winger.
The Bad
Well, they played like hot garbage.
The Habs were the rested team coming into this game, whereas Florida played the night before and used Alex Lyon for a second straight game. You wouldn’t have known it based on the way the game went, as the Panthers mauled a Habs team that seemed to be stuck in neutral.
Montreal struggled badly against Florida all year, and this was a tough way to end a brutal year of games against the Panthers.
Also I would like to wish Radko Gudas a lifetime of stepping on Legos and forgetting where he put his car keys.
Lottery Movement
The Habs’ loss keeps them in fifth place in the race for Connor Bedard, and with the Flyers somehow forcing overtime in Ottawa while getting outshot by a four-to-one margin, the Habs gained some more breathing room.
Arizona takes the ice on Friday night. With the Habs having the night off, they will remain in their current spot heading into Saturday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Tank Score
8/10
The only annoying part of this game is that Florida’s draft pick had to improve to keep the Habs in their current spot. The Panthers have the 20th-hardest strength of schedule remaining as they try to make the playoffs, so the Habs need some luck for that pick to reach its best possible value.
