The Habs were able to salvage the back half of their West Coast road trip this past week before coming home and playing one of their most complete games of the season to put them within a point of the final Wild Card spot in the East.
After blowing the lead on Wednesday in Seattle, the Habs looked to get back into the win column as they hosted Florida on Saturday. It was a low-chance battle but one that Montreal came out victorious in, winning 3-1.
As it was for the Habs, February was a month of ups and downs for many of its prospects and even in Laval. Nonetheless, several players stood out amongst the crowd, earning a spot in our three stars.
The Habs got off to a strong start in Vancouver on Tuesday night and were able to hold the lead from there, picking up their first win of this road trip by a score of 4-2.
Laval had a pair of games that had them in a battle for first place in the league last week. It took a pair of comebacks but they picked up wins in both games, vaulting themselves into first overall for the time being.
With the Habs winning five of six before the trade deadline, GM Kent Hughes appeared to change course. In doing so, he took the easy way out, one that basically leaves the team to spin its wheels.
The Habs kept their hot streak going a little longer this past week but they weren’t able to keep it up, dropping the first two games of their Western road trip, pushing them a bit further back in the Wild Card chase.
Jakub Dobes had a strong game on Saturday night in Calgary, holding the Flames to just a single goal. However, Calder Trophy contender Dustin Wolf was even better at the other end, keeping the Habs off the scoreboard to give the home side the 1-0 win.
The Habs were able to keep it close on Thursday night in Edmonton as they kicked off a four-game West Coast road trip. It looked as if the game was going to be heading to a shootout but Evan Bouchard scored with seven seconds left to give them the 3-2 win.
Montreal took its best trade chip off the block earlier this week when they signed Jake Evans to a four-year, $11.4 million extension. Was this the right move to make? Our writers offer up their thoughts.