The week started off well for the Habs but after a tough showing the rest of the way, they still have some work to do before they can officially lock down the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division.
After a pair of tough outings, the Habs were looking to rebound on Saturday as they finished up the road portion of their schedule in Toronto. They got off to a good start and had a two-goal lead but couldn’t hold it, falling 3-2.
The Habs were nowhere to be found to start Thursday’s game in Toronto and they weren’t helped by a completely rattled Cayden Primeau as the Leafs took a 4-0 lead early and never looked back, skating away with a 5-2 victory.
It looked like the Habs expected a ten-minute flurry to start the game was going to be enough to win against the Senators on Wednesday night. Ottawa had other ideas as they survived that stretch and then destroyed the Habs for the other 50 minutes on their way to a relatively easy 5-1 victory.
It was a tough, busy month for the Canadiens with injuries beginning to pile up, but a glimmer of hope began to emerge as April wound to a close. Who were their top performers? Make your picks for their three stars.
The Habs had great moments stopped by Jack Campbell and shaky moments where Jake Allen bailed them out. In the end, they found a way to score a goal in the last minute and then let Cole Caufield do his magic at 3-on-3 to earn a third consecutive come from behind victory with a 3-2 win on Monday night over Toronto, allowing them to catch the Jets in the North Division standings in the process.
The Habs needed a big week to maintain their lead on Calgary for the final playoff spot in the North Division. While there were definitely some speed bumps along the way, they were able to accomplish just that, picking up three wins in their four games, extending the gap in the process.
After a good showing against Winnipeg, the Habs looked to get their second straight win as they hosted Ottawa on Saturday night. After failing to pick up two straight victories in all of April, they did so in this one with Cole Caufield scoring the overtime winner in a 3-2 contest.
In what can be described as their best team effort in a long time, the Habs were able to erase two two-goal deficits to take a stranglehold on the last North Division playoff spot with a 5-3 win over the Jets Friday night.
Our third quarter report cards wrap up with a look at Montreal’s forwards where two members of their tried and true ‘top line’ earned the top marks for this segment.