Playoff hopes could depend on tonight’s game
1 A must-win game
After losing 2-0 to the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday at the Bell Centre, the Canadiens have lost ground in their bid to grab a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They are three points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets, who hold the second wild-card spot. Montreal is four points behind Carolina, which holds the first wild-card spot and has a game in hand. The Canadians are 4-6 in their last 10 games, while the Flyers are 6-3-1 after a 2-1 win Saturday over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
2 A must-lose game
There is a segment of Habs Nation that is hoping the Canadiens lose this and the nine other remaining games on their schedule. These are the yahoos who thought the Canadiens should have been in full tank mode all season so they could get another high draft choice in June. The Canadiens currently have the 15th best odds at winning the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery, but they could move up another spot or two by dropping down in the standings. Philadelphia is one of the teams that could pass Montreal. A win in this game would leave the Flyers one point behind the Canadiens.
3 Stop babying Kotkaniemi
Jesperi Kotkaniemi may be the youngest player in the NHL, but it’s time coach Claude Julien stops treating him like a baby. Kotkaniemi was effectively benched in the third period of Saturday’s loss to Chicago. He played only two shifts totalling 40 seconds. His total ice time was a team-low 7:56, the first time this season he has played fewer than 11 minutes. Julien said he took Kotkaniemi out of the rotation because he missed some defensive assignments. He certainly wasn’t alone in that regard, but the bottom line is the Canadiens were trailing and a creative offensive player was riding the pine.
4 Speaking of creativity
It’s a bit of surprise to learn Jonathan Drouin is still on pace for a career season. It’s a surprise because the talented winger hasn’t picked up a point in 15 of his past 16 games. Drouin has tons of skill, but that hasn’t translated into production. Drouin had his most success on a line with Max Domi, but he’s currently playing with Kotkaniemi and Joel Armia. As for Domi, he now has Artturi Lehkonen on his left wing and Lehkonen hasn’t had a point in 19 of his last 20 games.
5 The other guys
The Flyers have stayed relevant despite being sellers at the deadline when they traded power forward Wayne Simmonds and spare parts Christian Folin and Dale Weise. Claude Giroux leads the scoring parade with 77 points. Sean Couturier is the team’s leading goal-scorer with 29. The Flyers have used eight different goalies this season, but it appears rookie Carter Hart has grabbed the No. 1 job. He has a 14-9-1 record with a 2.76 goals-against average.