Montreal Canadiens: The ‘but’ of last night’s win over the Detroit Red Wings

The Montreal Canadiens ended their three-game losing streak with a win over the Detroit Red Wings. However, there’s a big ‘but’ to think about.

The Montreal Canadiens added the Detroit Red Wings to their broom list after defeating them 4-3 on the road. Is it boastful to say that? For sure, but with how things have gone this year, you have to take your chances to overripe in the small celebrations.

There were many good things from the Habs victory. Nicolas Deslauriers found the back of the net twice netting both the opening and go-ahead goals. It had been ten games since the 27-year-old put up a single point, so seeing him find the back of the net and hit double digits was refreshing.

Brendan Gallagher had a nice night as well, and it looks like 30 goals aren’t enough for him. It was an incredible 2-0 back and forth passing play with him, and Jonathan Drouin and the smirking agitator made no mistake for his 31st.

Artturi Lehkonen and Logan Shaw joined in on the fun with the passing plays as well. The Finnish native took advantage of a Niklas Kronwall fall to break in with L. Shaw in the Detroit zone. The 26-year-old slapped the pass back to Lehkonen, and it was a bullet that beat Jared Coreau for his 12th of the season.

Overall, it was a well-fought game for the Montreal Canadiens. Karl Alzner looked pretty bad on the Dylan Larkin goal, but the positives of the night overshadow that powerful negative.

And that’s the thing, the word ‘but.’ The Habs won, the players expected to contribute stepped up, even rookie Noah Juulsen walked out of Little Caesars Arena a warrior after blocking some rubber.

BUT, the win bumped the Habs up to 27th in the NHL bringing their draft lottery odds down from 11.5% to 8.5%.

That’s what made the minutes after the end of the game so interesting among fans. There were few happy and many furious that the Montreal Canadiens won it. Both are fair reactions in my opinion. It’s okay to want the team to finish the season on a high-note and not with their tail tucked between their legs. At the same time, it’s also understandable to be focused on the fact that although it isn’t a guarantee, getting in the best position to win the lottery is crucial.

Luckily, depending on your stance on things, the Habs are still in a position where they could get back into the ‘top three.’ Ottawa, Arizona, and Vancouver all have two games left in the regular season. Montreal sits at 71 and could fall depending on whether either of them wracks up more points.

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For now, enjoy the win. It may be hard to not to focus on the ‘but’ of the argument, but the Montreal Canadiens can’t lose every game, as much as some fans may want them to.