It’s Tank Score time again everyone! The Canadiens again dropped a game 4-3, this time in a shootout to the Carolina Hurricanes. Did earning a point impact their odds for Connor Bedard? Let’s find out!
The Good
Above all else in this game the Canadiens earned just one point when it looked like they were going to steal two. A late goal by Jesper Fast forced the game to overtime, and to the shootout where Jesperi Kotkaniemi won the game, because of course he did.
In terms of players worth highlighting, there were a lot from this game actually. The fourth players, Alex Belzile, Chris Tierney, and Michael Pezzetta, collected two points each as they feasted on the Carolina defence early on. To keep with the AHL theme, call-ups Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Jesse Ylönen continue to look fantastic on Nick Suzuki’s wings, which is great news for next season, too.
Finally veterans Jake Allen and Mike Matheson are doing yeoman’s work each night. It might look like they’re trying to spoil the tank, but they’re just playing damn good hockey, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
The Bad
Well, they got a point.
It’s not ideal, but it’s far from disastrous thanks to Vancouver hilariously beating Toronto over the weekend.
The power play? Also still very bad, and if it were even moderately good this game is potentially a Habs blowout win.
Lottery Movement
Vancouver winning over the weekend, coupled with the Habs getting just one point, slides Montreal into the top six up the lottery standings. Unfortunately, Florida keeps winning games, and has slid out of the race for a chance at the first overall pick.
Tank Score
8/10
A regulation loss to further cement their place ahead of Vancouver would have been nice, but with the Canucks having a game in hand and the mindset that they don’t want to rebuild, it’s not the worst spot to be in for the Habs. Montreal is finding ways to drop points while still a threat to beat some quality teams, and that bumps up the entertainment portion of the score.
Things are about to get much tougher for Montreal as it plays the Rangers, Devils, Avs, and Penguins in the next four games. There’s a good chance for some 10/10 tank games coming up.
