A Week in the Life: Montreal Canadiens return to form and battle back
By Omar L
The Montreal Canadiens made the best out of their week clawing back into a wild-card spot despite starting on the outside looking in.
Sunday’s game was a bitter way to what was otherwise a great week for the Montreal Canadiens. Their play the week before had them drop out of a playoff spot with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the holy land. It wasn’t the biggest deficit considering the Habs had 81 points while the Blue Jackets had 84, but it made the upcoming week all the more important for the team when it came to the possibility of a playoff berth in April.
The Habs had four games on the schedule including a weekend back-to-back against the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes. Columbus, on the other hand, was embarking on their Canadian road trip which would begin on the Tuesday against the Calgary Flames. Wins and points meant everything, especially with the Philadelphia Flyers close on Montreal’s heels, so it was good that they managed to go 3-0-1 in those four games to earn seven of a possible eight points.
A good reality for Montreal to have going for them considering the waves of negativity that came from the loss to the Chicago Blackhawks where Jordan Weal played a little over 19 minutes while Jesperi Kotkaniemi only played about seven.
The night in Philadelphia was a defining moment for the Montreal Canadiens. Regardless of what would happen the next day in Calgary, which the Blue Jackets ended up winning, a loss would’ve been detrimental to their efforts.