At no point down the final stretch of this season did fans expect the Montreal Canadiens to dominate games in any form. Fans did, however, expect effort, something the Habs have given in spades throughout this lost season.
Against Detroit, that went missing in a big way. The Habs lost 5-0 to the Red Wings in a game that is notable for almost nothing notable happening.
The Good
With Arizona not playing again for two days, any points by the Canadiens would move them ahead of the Coyotes and into the sixth spot in the Draft Lottery order. So the good news out of this game is that the Canadiens did not win. They didn’t even end up in the same star cluster as winning.
Outside of that, I really have nothing. This was just a total stinker even by the standards of this season.
The Bad
The Habs, injured to hell and back, are out of gas.
That isn’t unexpected. In fact, it’s a miracle it took this long for the team to finally hit its limit. The young guns who did so much to keep the team exciting are exhausted and the veterans can only cover for so much.
There aren’t exactly reinforcements coming either as the Laval Rocket are on the cusp of a playoff berth, and have next to no one to spare anyway. It’s the inevitable result of a second straight year of devastating injuries.
Lottery Movement
With the Habs’ loss and the the Coyotes not playing, Montreal remains with the fifth-best odds in the upcoming NHL Draft Lottery.
The big news is that the Panthers defeated the Sabres in regulation thanks to Alex Lyon’s 40 saves. That win moves Florida into a playoff spot and does serious damage to the Habs’ second first-round draft pick in June.
Tank Score
Nothing Matters, Eat at Arby’s/10
The Habs stand in their lottery spot by doing a similar thing on the ice for 60 minutes, and lost lottery boost from the Panthers’ win, so it’s a pretty bad night for the tank in that regard. Also, the team just looks totally burnt out and done (deeply relatable).
There are just four games left for this team, and hopefully they’ll provide at least some entertaining hockey in them.
