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Arber Xhekaj must play (as a forward) against the Panthers on Tuesday

The habs have only nine games left to play in their last push towards the playoffs (or the no man’s land).

The team is currently holding the eighth and last playoff spot in the East… but no less than four other teams are seriously eyeing this position: the Rangers, the Blue Jackets, the Red Wings, and the Islanders.

According to MoneyPuck, the habs have a 39% chance of finishing the season in eighth place in their conference, ahead of the Rangers (33%) and the Blue Jackets (15%).

Impossible to be more in the mix than that. The habs will play significant games over the next three weeks where they will have to win to hope to keep their Wild Card position. The guys will grow and learn from these highly significant games.

After suffering five consecutive losses, the habs managed to stop the bleeding yesterday afternoon in Florida. They had to do it.

The good news for the habs: the team has the fifth easiest schedule in the entire NHL until the end of the season. An easier schedule than the other teams in the (only) playoff race.

(Credit: Tankathon)

The habs will face four teams that will definitely not make the playoffs, the Panthers (who they have beaten all season), the Hurricanes who already know their final ranking and their opponent in the first round, the Senators who have secured their playoff spot, the Maple Leafs who may rest players at the end of the regular season… and the Red Wings, with whom the habs are fighting for the last playoff spot in the East.

And six of these nine games will be played in front of the team’s fans at the Centre Bell.

Moreover, there is currently only one injured player on the habs: Kirby Dach.

In short, the habs are in a good position to make the playoffs. It’s up to them to deliver on the ice now. Even if Kent Hughes’ inaction at the trade deadline hurt the team’s depth, especially on the second line…

It’s also up to them not to be caught off guard by a disorganized team that has nothing to lose in their last games, like the Capitals against the Sabres last night, but…

Mikkola, Xhekaj, Pezzetta, Savard, and the last spot in the lineup
There’s an old saying that goes: if it works, don’t fix it.

Head coaches usually respect this old saying.

Since the habs managed to stop their losing streak yesterday in Florida, one might think that Martin St-Louis won’t change his lineup.

But Niko Mikkola, with his unnecessary and dangerous slap shot towards David Savard at the end of the game, might force Martin St-Louis to make a change.

The code would want someone on the habs to go after Mikkola during tomorrow’s game at the Centre Bell. And if Mikkola refuses to drop the gloves, the habs might even go after a star player from the Panthers.

But Mikkola is 6’6″. I don’t see David Savard or even Michael Pezzetta dropping the gloves with Mikkola.

Except that Mikkola is not a big fighter. He has only six fights in the NHL… almost all against smaller opponents. You know, when you fight Maxime Comtois…

Xhekaj on the attack
It seems clear to me that Arber Xhekaj’s presence would be a good idea tomorrow night. Who better than Arber Xhekaj to go tell Mikkola that the habs are standing up for themselves, that what he did on Sunday wasn’t right?

But Matheson, Guhle, Carrier, Hutson, and even Struble are playing too well to be taken out of the lineup.

And David Savard can’t be left out; he’s excellent on the penalty kill and his presence in the dressing room and on the bench reassures everyone.

I see two options for MSL: playing with seven defensemen and sending Pezzetta, who only played 5:43 on Sunday, to the stands with Joshua Roy…

Or using Arber Xhekaj at forward.

It’s been months since I’ve been saying that I’d like to see the habs try this. Why? Because there won’t be a spot on the top six defense for Xhekaj when the team is mature, but there could be one on the fourth line. Maybe even alongside his brother Florian?

Stéphane Leroux shares my opinion on this matter.

Nicolas Deslauriers was a defenseman and was converted to a forward in similar circumstances.

Closer to home in Montreal, Mark Streit and Mathieu Dandenault switched from defense to forward during their careers.

It happens.

But Renaud Lavoie reminded us this morning on BPM Sports that Sheldon Souray was used at forward in a game with the habs… and it didn’t go well. It never happened again.

Xhekaj as a seventh defenseman didn’t work last Friday. He didn’t even play four minutes during the game and managed to make a bad pinch that cost his team a goal.

I think it’s time to try him for real at forward. If there had been a practice this morning, it would have been the perfect time to test it and have a good discussion with him.

I know, the mix is not the perfect time to try new things – they should have been done earlier in the season -, but a potential mistake by Xhekaj in coverage would hurt less if he plays at wing than if he plays defense…

Yes, it’s hard to switch from playing behind the game to playing in front of the game in April in the best league in the world…

But it seems to me a scenario that deserves to be considered.

Because Niko Mikkola…

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If Jacob Fowler goes to Laval, it wouldn’t be just a “observation stage”

Jacob Fowler had hoped to go further than last year with Boston College. And as the Eagles lost in the Frozen Four final last year, the goal was clear: to win everything.

But the team of Ryan Leonard, Gabriel Perreault, and Fowler, to name a few, didn’t really manage to build momentum once the season ended.

As a result, the team is eliminated. And Fowler must be devastated.

Now, as you probably know, Jacob Fowler is now free to sign with the Habs. And since he’s not expected to return to the NCAA, it seems like a mere formality.

Maybe it will even happen today. We will clearly be entering a “Jacob Fowler watch” in Montreal in the coming hours/days.

There’s also an important detail to remember: he won’t be able to play for Laval and Montreal before the end of the season. For example, the Habs couldn’t have him burn a year of his contract with a game in the NHL before sending him down to the minors for the playoffs: it would be one or the other. Not both at the same time.

And right now, the question is: will he play his next game with the Habs or the Rocket?

In 2025-2026, we expect to see him with the Rocket anyway. But to finish the 2024-2025 season, it’s a different situation since it’s short-term and he already has a season under his belt.

But since the Habs are in a playoff race and having Fowler play with the Habs would be much more difficult than in Laval, a team guaranteed to participate in the playoffs, I expect to see Fowler arrive in Laval.

Especially since there, Fowler would have his chance.

Anthony Marcotte, who covers the Rocket, is certain that if Fowler were to arrive in Laval, he wouldn’t just be there to warm the bench. And I strongly agree with him.

If he were to arrive in Montreal, it could be more of an observation stint. Because even if the team doesn’t seem to have full confidence in Jakub Dobes, throwing Fowler into a playoff race would be intense.

Sending Lane Hutson to the blue line in 2024 or Fowler in front of the net in 2025, it’s not the same situation. Not at all. #CourseAuxSéries

Overtime

– Ah?

– Exactly.

– Bill Zito did a great job in Florida. [98.5 FM]

– Good listening.

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Top-5 : The Hurricanes do the Habs a favor by beating the Islanders

Last night in the NHL, there were eight games on the schedule.

In the afternoon, the Canadiens were one of the teams in action.

Here are the results and highlights:

1. Islanders’ defeat

After the win against the Panthers, the Habs could turn their attention to the Hurricanes-Islanders game.

Carolina could give a helping hand to the Montrealers with a win. That’s exactly what they did. A 6-4 win.

Rough day at the office for Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who took a puck to the helmet.

In the second period, with the game tied, Seth Jarvis gave his team the lead with a goal.

His fifth shorthanded goal this season.

New York, like the rest of the game, came back from behind, but in the third period, Dmitry Orlov scored the winning goal.

Here is the updated standings in the East:

(Credit: NHL.com )

2. Alex Ovechkin five goals away from exclusive record

In Washington, the Sabres were visiting. One could expect a drubbing of one of the best teams in the league against one of the worst, but Buffalo played spoiler.

A 8-5 win.

Despite the loss, Alex Ovechkin found the back of the net (his 890th goal) and is now five goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record.

No goal for the 8, then.

Aliaksei Protas is no slouch as a goal-scorer either.

He reached the 30-goal plateau.

On the Sabres’ side, Jack Quinn and Alex Tuch led the charge with three points each.

3. A goal scored in Pittsburgh

In the game between the Senators and Penguins, one could expect a minimum of action.

Only one goal was scored. And that goal was scored in overtime.

Who else but Sidney Crosby to give the win to his team?

With this goal, the 87 increased to 10 his streak of games with at least one point.

It was his 24th career overtime goal.

Big point earned by the Senators, who are increasingly securing their 7th place in the East.

4. Cole Perfetti seals the win for the Jets in brilliant fashion

It was a big game for the Canucks, as they visited the Jets in Winnipeg.

Vancouver was six points away from the playoffs, and it was time to get closer to the Blues and the last playoff spot. Mission failed: Winnipeg won 3-1.

Cole Perfetti sealed the win with this beautiful goal:

It was the Canucks, however, who scored first.

But after this goal, no player was able to beat Connor Hellebuyck.

Since 2000-2001, the Jets’ goalie is one of three with two seasons of 43 wins or more.

Here is an update of the standings in the West:

(Credit: NHL.com )

5. The Leafs distance themselves from the Panthers and the Lightning

In the evening, the Leafs visited the Ducks in Anaheim.

The visitors eventually won 3-2. Max Domi first opened the scoring with a beautiful goal.

In the second period, Mitch Marner also wanted to join the party of beautiful goals.

He completely deked Lukas Dostal.

Anaheim, however, came back from behind and even tied the game.

It was Sam Colangelo who brought the two teams back to square one.

Toronto, however, scored the winning goal through Steven Lorentz.

With the Panthers’ defeat, the Leafs have distanced themselves from the two Florida teams in the standings.

Tampa did not play.

Overtime

— Game with eight goals for L.A.

— Ouch!

— Not nice.

— The top scorers from yesterday.

(Credit: NHL.com )

— Four games on the schedule tonight.

(Credit: Google)
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Season over for Jacob Fowler: he can now sign with the Canadiens

All the fans of the Canadiens have been eagerly waiting to see Jacob Fowler join the pros.

The Boston College Eagles goalie had another remarkable season in the NCAA and now it’s time for the playoffs.

Yesterday, the first two teams to make it to the famous Frozen Four were determined.

The University of Massachusetts lost their game against Western Michigan.

The Boston University Terriers, on the other hand, won against Cornell University in a game that ended in overtime, thanks to a goal from Quinn Hutson.

Cole Hutson, the other brother of Lane, once again scored with a magnificent shot from the top of an almost impossible angle.

On this Sunday, there were two other games on the schedule and the first one, opposing the University of Connecticut to the University of Penn State, also ended in overtime. The winning goal was scored by Penn State with a little over two minutes left in the overtime period.

Penn State, who will be participating in the Frozen Four for the first time in their history, will face Boston University.

As for Jacob Fowler and Boston College, they faced the reigning champions: the Pioneers of the University of Denver and Sam Harris, another prospect of the habs.

In the first period, the game was dominated by Boston College, who set the pace with 11 shots on goal compared to only five from Denver.

Unfortunately, it was BC who conceded the first goal of the game, at the end of the first engagement.

Eric Pohlkamp was the author of the first goal with a quality shot.

The second period, at least the beginning of it, was much more in favor of Denver, who decided to open up the game.

After three minutes had elapsed, it was 2-0 after a goal from James Reeder, assisted by the excellent Zeev Buium and Samu Salminen.

Two goals conceded on 11 shots, it’s far from ideal, especially when it’s a playoff game.

And what had to happen happened…

Zeev Buium tripled the lead with a remarkable shot. At least, the whole team believed it, but the goal was disallowed for offside after a coach’s challenge from BC.

The goal was finally disallowed and Fowler can at least breathe a little.

Fortunately for the Boston College goalie, the second goal and the disallowed third goal seemed to have revitalized him and he was back in the game.

On the other hand, at this point in the game, the big guns of the Eagles had not made themselves felt. The James Hagens, Ryan Leonard, and Gabe Perreault had to step up in a game of this magnitude.

At least, even if Leonard doesn’t produce, he knows how to make himself useful with his intense and physical style of play, constantly disrupting the opponent. Even there, in the first two periods, I didn’t see as much of Leonard as I expected.

In the last minute of play in the second period, it was the second-round prospect of the Nashville Predators, Teddy Stiga, who stood out for BC.

The 55th overall pick in 2024 reduced the deficit with a breakaway, slipping the puck between the pads of Matt Davis.

Stiga is the player who stood out the most in the game and the Preds seem to have an excellent prospect. He had also escaped earlier in the second period while shorthanded and almost scored twice on the same sequence.

After 40 minutes of play, the score was 2-1 for Denver.

It promised to be an exciting third and final period.

The goal from Stiga at the end of the second period completely revitalized the Eagles. After a second period dominated by the Pioneers in terms of shots (18-10), Boston College set the tone quickly in the third period and continued with 11 shots on goal compared to only one after 16 minutes of play.

We could really see intense and hungry eagles.

With a little less than two minutes left in regulation time, Boston College took a timeout to rest and rally their troops.

The team took advantage of it to pull Jacob Fowler for an extra attacker.

Unfortunately, the Pioneers scored the insurance goal in an empty net with four seconds left to play.

Denver will therefore face Western Michigan in the Frozen Four.

Jacob Fowler’s season in the NCAA is now over and he can soon sign his entry-level contract with the pros.

By signing a contract, Fowler could join the Laval Rocket and support Cayden Primeau and Connor Hughes.

Can Fowler make his place with the Rocket? It’s hard to say for now, but we’ll know more in the coming days/weeks.

Overtime

– The G.O.A.T helped the habs in their playoff run with a goal in overtime, Ovechkin-style.

– Big day for the Tricolore, who not only won their game, but the other teams in the playoff race also lost.

– The former habs player completely humiliated Radko Gudas and completed it with an incredible backhand shot.

– He hit a wall.

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5 points in 2 games: Michkov is a transformed player since Tortorella’s departure

Montreal Canadiens fans can rejoice as Lane Hutson is now at the top of the rookie points list in the NHL, with his three points in Sunday’s game.

He now has 59 points and is three points ahead of his nearest competitor. Macklin Celebrini will play later tonight at 10:00 PM against the Los Angeles Kings.

(Credit: StatMuse)

We know Hutson is very mature for his young age, and on that topic, Eric Engels has written an article.

The Habs rookie seems to appreciate the pressure with the playoff chase.

“I think just having that pressure and knowing that every play you make is crucial and can have a big impact on the game, it’s quite pleasant.” – Lane Hutson

For a while now, we haven’t been counting on Matvei Michkov to put up a good fight for the rookie of the year award.

Macklin Celebrini seemed to be the only one who could dethrone Hutson and steal the trophy.

However, as we know, the Philadelphia Flyers have parted ways with their head coach John Tortorella, which seems to have opened the door for Michkov.

He has only played two games since Tortorella’s departure, but we can already feel a breath of fresh air from the Flyers’ rookie.

The Russian has scored four goals and added an assist for a total of five points in his last two games.

In the game against the Montreal Canadiens on Friday, he finally seemed to be able to play to his full potential, collecting three points in the win.

(Credit: ESPN)

It’s pretty rare to see a head coach get fired this late in the season.

At this point, you’re just as well off waiting until the end of the season and hoping for a better draft pick.

With this change, the Flyers might win a few more games, which will prevent them from getting a quality pick.

But the quality in the locker room is more important than a prospect that no one is sure will be able to dominate with the team. Maybe the team will even choose a player later in the draft who will become a better player than the one they would have picked earlier.

Daniel Brière has finally decided to pull the plug on Tortorella, and it’s paying off for the team so far, even if the sample size is small.

And it’s not just Michkov who’s benefiting from Tortorella’s departure. There were some frictions between a few players and the fiery coach, and Sean Couturier is another one.

We also saw him being freed in the game against the Canadiens on Friday, scoring two goals and adding an assist, just like Michkov.

If the Flyers’ and Michkov’s successes continue, he could very well challenge Celebrini and Hutson, or even surpass them for the points total.

The Calder Trophy race is more interesting than ever.

Overtime

– Tom Wilson finds it very different to face the Sabres, unlike teams that are more structured and intense, like the Winnipeg Jets and the Minnesota Wild.

– A whole season from Mikhail Sergachev.

– A small comedy, Aliaksei Protas, who scored his 30th goal of the season.

– He is also tied for first in the NHL this season for shorthanded goals.

– To read.

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The art of being undefeated in three games against the reigning champions

After five consecutive losses, the Habs have returned to winning ways this afternoon against the Florida Panthers.

The reigning champions have absolutely nothing on the Canadiens, having lost all three games against Martin St-Louis’ team this season. And the Habs’ three wins against Florida have been extremely important.

Firstly, in December, Montreal won 4-0, which was somewhat of a trigger for the start of the team’s successes. And today’s win is probably even more important: the club had to win to save their trip, or even their season. This 4-2 win propels the Habs to eighth place and the last playoff spot in the East.

(Credit: NHL.com )

Let’s just say that Florida won’t want to face Montreal in the playoffs… It’s not going to happen, luckily for Paul Maurice’s team.

As for the standings, the team has the same number of points as the Rangers, but has a game in hand.

The Blue Jackets (75), Islanders, and Red Wings (74) are all very close behind.

The Blue Shirts play twice this week, once against the Wild and once in New Jersey. As for the Canadiens, they play against the Panthers on Tuesday, against Boston on Thursday, against Philadelphia on Saturday, and in Nashville on Sunday. Montreal not only has twice as many games as New York but also more manageable opponents. Martin St-Louis’ team could therefore pull away from the Rangers, yes, but also from the other teams in the race.

Here is the schedule for the Islanders, Blue Jackets, and Red Wings:

  • Blue Jackets (Nashville, Colorado, Toronto, Ottawa)
  • Islanders (Carolina, tonight, Tampa Bay, Minnesota, and Washington)
  • Red Wings (St. Louis, Carolina, and Florida)

The teams behind Montreal in the standings won’t have an easy week, then. It’s time to win and pull away from everyone, once and for all.

Here’s what I also take away from this last game of the trip, which ended well but wasn’t filled with success (1-3-0):

1. Two words: Lane Hutson.

Lane Hutson is not only the best defenseman on the Habs (by far) but also one of the best defensemen in the NHL, period.

Again today, he was on fire, picking up three assists. The one on Nick Suzuki’s goal was masterful.

With this assist, the young defenseman now has 59 points, including 54 assists, in 73 games.

Since 2007-2008, no player in the organization has had more assists than him (and Nick Suzuki).

Do you want more statistics on Hutson, who, after this game, must be the favorite to win the Calder Trophy?

He tied Larry Murphy for second place in history for the number of games with two or more assists in a season among rookie defensemen.

I’m not done yet.

He is also one point away from the 60-point plateau and ninth place (Nicklas Lindstrom) for the most points by a rookie defenseman.

(Credit: NHL.com )

It’s not his defensive partners who make him good, but him who makes his teammates excellent.

2. There’s not just Hutson in life. There’s also Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky.

Caufield was quiet today, but Suzuki (one goal, two assists, and who has thus equaled his career high in points) and Slaf (one goal and one assist) made their mark on the game. In the case of the Slovak, he was celebrating his 21st birthday. Two points are a nice gift, anyway.

In the second period, on the powerplay, he beat Sergei Bobrovsky at the mouth.

3. Speaking of the powerplay, it clicked today. During the last few games, it was going poorly, but today, Montreal found the back of the net twice (in three attempts).

There was Slaf’s goal, but also this one by Patrik Laine:

15 of his 19 goals this season have been scored with a man advantage.

19 goals in 43 games, that’s really not bad. If he had played all the team’s games, he would be on pace to score 36 goals.

The Finnish player also demonstrated that sometimes, he can deceive the opposing defense with his skate kick.

4. Despite a weak goal conceded to Seth Jones in the second period, Samuel Montembeault rebounded well in the third, stopping all shots directed at him.

He finished the game with 24 saves on 26 shots (.923). Like his team, he saved the trip.

We’ll need him on Tuesday against these same Panthers…

5. Let’s talk about Tuesday’s game. We can expect a lot of intensity, given how the game ended.

In the final minutes, defenseman Niko Mikkola decided to be stupid and shoot a slapshot from his own zone, down by two goals. The guys didn’t appreciate the gesture at all.

On Tuesday, let’s hope Arber Xhekaj will be back in the lineup and animate the crowd with a little dance with Mikkola.

The Habs’ defenseman wasn’t in the lineup this afternoon, and many were wondering why he wasn’t used at forward. After all, he can’t do worse than Michael Pezzetta…

I like the idea, but with so few games left in the season, I don’t think a position change is ideal in the circumstances. Will MSL use the 11-7 formula? Will Pezz stay in the lineup? Will Xhekaj and Roy see action?

To be continued.

Montreal won’t be overtaken in the standings before their next game.

Overtime

– It’s approaching.

– Still. The Lions won 5-2 this afternoon.

– Trade in the NHL.

– Two wins and two losses to start the new season against the Orioles for the Jays.

– Their bats aren’t unanimous.

– Too bad.

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Victory against the Panthers: the Habs are back in the playoffs

Five consecutive losses: that’s the streak the Habs were trying to stop this afternoon in Sunrise.

Beating the champions once is a tough task, can Montreal beat them three times in a row?

Here are the lines:

For the second game in a row, the Habs took the lead.

Okay, the first goal wasn’t scored as quickly as in Carolina, but a bit after the middle of the period, Patrik Laine, on the powerplay, broke the ice. His 19th goal of the season. 15 of his 19 goals have been scored with a man advantage.

Nick Suzuki and Lane Hutson collected the assists on the goal.

Like in Carolina, the pleasure was short-lived.

A few seconds later, Sam Reinhart tied the game.

Another powerplay smiled on the Habs in the second period.

This time, it’s Juraj Slafkovsky who surprised Sergei Bobrovsky.

Happy 21st birthday, Slaf!

On the goal, Hutson collected his second point of the game.

But like in the first period, Florida came back.

Samuel Montembeault would certainly like to see Seth Jones’ shot again.

Montreal started the third period strongly.

Lane Hutson (again) found his captain at the mouth and Suzuki didn’t ask for much.

The young defender is now just one point away from Nicklas Lindstrom and seventh place in history for points by a rookie defender.

The visitors then solidified their win with an empty net. Brendan Gallagher, from his zone, scored a big goal.

Final score: 4-2.

The Habs are undefeated in three games this season against the champions.

Martin St-Louis’ team will face the Panthers again on Tuesday. This time, the game will be played in Montreal.

Overtime

– Good question.

– An 800th game for Aleksander Barkov.

– It would have been nice.

– Obviously.

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The Rangers’ bus scratched Celebrini’s car after the Sharks’ game last night

Macklin Celebrini had a terrible evening yesterday.

The Rangers, who were visiting San Jose to face the worst team in the league, crushed their opponents by a score of 6-1.

The young Sharks star finished the game with an impressive record of minus-4… but that’s not all.

It doesn’t stop there, as another surprise awaited him when he left the arena.

What is it about?

It’s simple: his car was scratched… by the Rangers’ bus. #Irony

A Sharks fan filmed him standing next to his car and also posted a photo of Celebrini’s vehicle, which is clearly damaged.

A really bad evening…

It’s, how to say… quite special.

You get crushed 6-1, you finish the game with a really bad differential… and you leave the arena to see that your car has scratches.

Honestly, it must be a really frustrating feeling.

Celebrini’s vehicle doesn’t seem to be badly damaged, but still. You have to wonder how it all happened and at that level, I also wonder what happened in the story afterwards.

Did the Sharks player manage to talk to the Rangers’ bus driver? Hmm…

One thing is certain: I won’t fall out of my chair if Macklin Celebrini partners with an insurance company soon (hehe).

It’s a funny story, anyway.

Overtime

– To watch.

– It brings back bad memories…

– Reinforcements in St. Louis.

– Taylor Hall is on fire.

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Arber Xhekaj will not be in uniform today

The Canadiens have a big test this afternoon.

They face the Panthers… who have one of the best teams in the league.

For the game, note that Michael Pezzetta will be in uniform. It’s Arber Xhekaj who will sit out.

This means that the Canadiens – after playing with seven defensemen on Friday – will return to a “normal” lineup of 12 forwards and six defensemen.

This is logical. Joshua Roy will also be left out:

More details to come…

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Since they started losing, the Habs have the worst special units in the NHL

The Montreal Canadiens are going through a very tough streak right now, and this is happening at the worst moment, as Martin St-Louis’ team is in the heart of the playoff race in the East.

It’s really unfortunate that the team couldn’t solidify its playoff spot, but in the end, it’s not because of a lack of luck.

The Habs have shot themselves in the foot in many ways, as they are at the bottom of the NHL in several statistics since the start of the five-game losing streak, which began on March 19.

Besides the fact that the Habs are giving up too many goals, there’s another area where the Habs have been unrecognizable for five games.

I’m talking here about special teams.

In fact, since they started losing, the Habs have the worst special teams in the entire NHL.

When you combine the powerplay percentage (6.7%) and penalty kill percentage (60%), the Habs are last in the NHL with 67.7%.

(Credit: NHL.com)

The worst part is that the Habs are last by far in this category. The second-worst team when combining special team percentages is the Columbus Blue Jackets at 80% (0% on the powerplay and 80% on the penalty kill).

In short, this means that both the powerplay and penalty kill have been terrible for five games, and this is largely why the Habs have lost five consecutive games.

Powerplay

When looking at the Habs’ powerplay over the last five games, what’s most apparent is the team’s lack of creativity, especially the first unit.

We’re playing with a lot of laziness, and we’re almost desperately trying to get the puck to Patrik Laine, crossing our fingers that he’ll score with a perfect shot, as he’s done so often this season.

The problem is that these are often telegraphed plays, while the opponent always makes sure to keep one player on Laine.

We’re looking for the easy play too often, and everyone’s trying to pass the puck to someone else, hoping they’ll make the play or score the goal.

The result of all this is that the Habs have only scored one goal in 15 attempts over their last five games.

This is horrible, and it absolutely needs to change if the Habs want to hope to make the playoffs.

And even though Laine has scored the only goal in this streak, we can wonder if he’s hurting the powerplay (which has gone from 15th to 19th) given that the other four players have only one idea in mind, which is to pass the puck to him.

Penalty Kill

It’s not much better on the penalty kill, as the Habs have given up at least one goal in each of their last five games while shorthanded.

The Habs’ opponents have converted 6 of their 15 powerplay opportunities.

This is way too many, especially for a penalty kill that was going so well before.

Jake Evans and Joel Armia haven’t been able to do the job over the last five games, as they’ve been on the ice for three of the six goals.

They were almost unbeatable, and we couldn’t stop praising their work on the penalty kill, but now it’s the opposite.

Plus, they’re not scoring anymore, and they’re not contributing to the team at all.

Armia hasn’t scored since March 6, a span of nine games, and Evans hasn’t scored since March 1, a span of 12 games.

In short, the Habs’ special teams are doing very poorly, and things will need to turn around quickly if the team wants to continue hoping to make the playoffs.

In Overtime

– The Hurricanes and Maple Leafs could clinch a playoff spot today.

– To be continued.