Montreal finished their dismal season on a high note, with a decisive 4-1 win at home versus their long time rival Toronto Maple Leafs. While the game was meaningless to both teams in terms of the standings for playoff reasons, pride was indeed a big factor in tonight’s match.
Peter Budaj had a very solid game in a Habs uniform, stopping 30 of the 31 shots he faced. Other bright spots included Montreal’s newest 3rd line of Lars Eller, Blake Geoffrion and Brad Staubitz.
HW 3 Stars of the Night
1.Max Pacioretty: 1 Goal, 1 Assist. After scoring his goal, he showed little emotion, indicating this long season and has worn him down somewhat. He still lead his teammates in scoring and initiative.
2.Erik Cole: 1 Goal. This dynamo was a constant threat for every shift, with his never say die effort level. He also managed to conduct a between periods for RDS, en Francais!
3.Tomas Plekanec: 1 Goal, short handed. Tomas scored this goal on a breakaway while the Habs were down 2 men. While he sort of lost the handle on
he shot, it went in and provided a huge boost for his teammates.
Honourable Mention:Brad Staubitz. He managed an empty net goal from around 180 feet in his own end, after picking up a Leafs rebound late in the third period. Not only was that his first goal of the season, but the look on all the Montreal players on the bench for the after goal skate by said a lot about how well Staubitz is liked on this team.