It’s over.
In 56 games, the Habs did it — they made the playoffs. Along the way, they had a COVID-19 scare, after Joel Armia was sidelined with the virus. That produced a 10-day break that almost cost the season, as the NHL forced on the Canadiens a schedule fit for baseball, but surely not hockey.
The final game was on Wednesday night against the Edmonton Oilers, who won it in overtime 4-3.
Wilde Horses
The Canadiens will surely not enter the playoffs with the best number one line in the league, but they sure will have a chance to make a claim for the best number four line. The way that Jake Evans is playing with Paul Byron and Artturi Lehkonen on his wings, it would be a shame to break them up for the playoffs in order to make way for aging veterans like Eric Staal.
The Canadiens earned the right to play in this post-season, thanks to the amazing play of that line in the second-last game of the season that sealed it for them. Evans, Lehkonen, and Byron each got a goal to lead the Canadiens to overtime.
In the last game, they were buzzing around the net throughout the game, too. They also play an extremely strong game defensively, as they had the assignment of handling Connor McDavid’s line. Evans’ line in the playoffs getting some good match-ups could be a difference maker.
That’s the future for the playoffs, but what about the future for next season? This game had a preview of what might be quite a pairing as the youth starts to take over from the veterans with the passage of time. Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield had outstanding chemistry together in this final game.
Caufield scored early for his fourth goal in 10 games. That’s with very limited ice time and also limited power play time. As Caufield works his way into the confidence of the head coach, his ice time will go up a lot. He will also have power play time which will be a specialty for him. Caufield, with four in 10 with only this much ice, portends that he can do significantly better than that with some well-earned opportunity.
Suzuki also scored twice in this contest, once from his favourite spot on the right side in the high slot. It feels like most of his goals this season were from that spot. His second goal was on a gorgeous feed from Caufield. Suzuki was the best centre on the team down the stretch, averaging better than a point per game with 14 in 11 contests. He was instrumental in getting the Canadiens to the post-season.
Suzuki and Caufield, at 21 years of age and 20 years of age, respectively, have all of their future in front of them, and they’re looking good already. Five years from now, they will be the leaders on the team. They both may just have point-per-game ceilings, and it’s been a very long time since any Canadiens tandem could claim that.
The present sometimes feels a little murky on the back end without puck-movers, but they’re coming. Combine that with scoring of these highly-rated forwards, and it has a chance of being satisfying for Habs fans in the future.
Wilde Goats
Fatigue always produces injuries, and playing too many games forces injuries, as well. We would not have had a clue how bad it was for the Montreal Canadiens during this stretch playing way too much hockey, if they were not able to secure a playoff spot before the final game of the season.
However, with a nothing game in front of them, we did get to learn what this ridiculous schedule has wrought. We also learned that this club sure can use a one-week break before the playoffs begin for them, likely on May 19.
Needing a rest were 10 players: Eric Staal, Tyler Toffoli, Josh Anderson, Jeff Petry, Joel Edmundson, Jake Allen, Shea Weber, Carey Price, Brendan Gallagher and Philip Danault. The club is also without Jonathan Drouin on a personal leave of absence.
That’s 11 players out of the regular 20 not facing the Edmonton Oilers.
It was, in some respects, an American Hockey League line-up, so it would be completely unfair to ram criticisms in to this spot here on the final night.
What’s more appropriate is to note how courageous this final effort of the final month of the season was. They had 22 games in 37 days. They had five games in eight nights at one point. No club manages to fly hot into the post-season with this schedule. All you can do is survive it, and they did. They were not once the more rested club in a game since their COVID-19 break. Phenomenal and unfair, but they did it, so the past is the past.
Now let’s see what they can bring when they are healthy and playing on even footing next week with their opposition for the first time in two months.
Wilde Cards
Jake Allen is the winner of the Jacques Beauchamp Award as the Canadiens’ unsung hero for this season.
The club would not have made the playoffs without his work during the campaign. Allen actually had a superior save percentage to Carey Price, with a 907 to 901 for the club’s supposed number one.
Credit goes to the GM for having it in mind that he needed a better backup for the aging Price. Allen played more games than Price with 29 to 25.
Marc Bergevin now needs to show that he has it mind to ensure the services of Allen for next season. The presumption is that Allen will be taken in the Seattle Kraken expansion draft, if he is made available.
Bergevin has a couple of options to secure Allen’s rights: a side deal with Seattle that would see Montreal give up a draft pick or protect Allen, thus exposing Price knowing they would not likely be interested in his $10.5 contract.
The latter is incumbent upon Price agreeing to void his no-movement clause in his contract — a move he would make to strengthen the Canadiens club knowing they could have the same goalies next season.
It will be interesting. For now, Habs fans will just celebrate a playoff spot thanks largely to their backup goalie.
Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.
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