A day after suggesting that he wasn’t going to do much on the trade market, Marc Bergevin added some depth down the middle, acquiring Eric Staal from Buffalo in exchange for Montreal’s third and fifth-round picks in 2021.

Our report cards return as we evaluate the performance of Montreal’s goaltenders and defencemen in the second quarter of the season, one where Jeff Petry really stepped up his play on the back end.

A day after Montreal’s game against the Edmonton Oilers was postponed due to two Habs players landing on the COVID-Protocol Related Absences list, the NHL announced that Montreal games will be postponed through at least March 29th.

For the first time this season, a North Division game has been postponed due to COVID protocols as Montreal’s Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Joel Armia are both on the COVID-Protocol Related Absences list.

Despite the frustration surrounding Montreal’s performance in overtime over the past few games, it was a successful week in the standings for the Habs as they picked up six of a possible eight points to give themselves a slightly larger cushion in the playoff race.

The Habs were looking to get back in the win column on Saturday against Vancouver after a pair of overtime losses. They blew leads early in the second and third periods and twice had to come back to tie it but managed to survive overtime and win in the shootout, coming away with a 5-4 victory.

In a game that featured many momentum swings, the overall result was dictated by the Habs inability to hit the net. They stole a point that they more or less deserved but ultimately fell to Vancouver in overtime once again, bringing their extra time record to 0-9.

The Habs were not the better team for most of Wednesday’s game in Winnipeg. Carey Price made saves when it mattered and the Habs held on long enough to give themselves a fighting chance and managed to get it to overtime before losing 4-3.

In a move that comes as little surprise, the Habs placed Paul Byron on waivers on Tuesday in order to allow him to continue being shuffled to the taxi squad after his waiver exemption ended last week.

The Jets were firing on all cylinders on Monday night but Montreal there every step of the way for the first 40 minutes as they attacked a vulnerable Winnipeg back end. The Jets didn’t give up as the Habs bent but didn’t break as they escaped with a 4-2 win on Monday night.