Canadiens Keep Rolling Into Home Stretch With Eight-Game Win Streak and Playoff Berth in Sight
The Montreal Canadiens are doing what teams that have turned it around actually do: finding ways to win even when the game is ugly. Their eighth straight victory came Saturday night in New Jersey, a 4-3 shootout win over the Devils that featured Jayden Struble, Ivan Demidov, and Lane Hutson all scoring, Cole Caufield chipping in two assists, and Oliver Kapanen sealing it with a breakaway deke in the fifth round of the shootout. Now they're heading home to the Bell Centre sitting on 100 points for the season, and they are one point away from clinching a playoff berth.
The Road Trip Grind Is Real
The Canadiens just wrapped a 5-0-0 run that started in Nashville last Saturday and included two straight wins that were not pretty. Thursday's 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers and Saturday's Devils shootout were the kind of games that used to sink this team. Captain Nick Suzuki knows the difference. "We probably lose those games the last few years," he said. The 26-year-old was not making excuses about the schedule either. Five games in eight nights before Sunday's rematch against New Jersey at home? Yeah, it's a grind. But that mental fatigue is not a reason to fold. It's a reason to prove you belong. "When you're on the road for 10 days, every day just blends in together," Suzuki said. "It feels like Nashville was a long time ago, and I think just the way we were able to find ways to win, even though we didn't really have our best games, it's a testament to all the guys in here to just stick with it. We didn't collapse."
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Lane Hutson made it 3-0 with his 12th goal and 74th point of the season, doing it with just over half the game remaining. Meanwhile, Suzuki finished with his 95th point despite losing 15 of 21 faceoffs and getting caught on the ice for Timo Meier's goal. He also missed for the 17th straight time in the shootout. Not his best night, but he stayed on his feet when it mattered. The Canadiens are now tied with Buffalo for second in the Atlantic Division, and they are chasing Tampa Bay, who sit two points ahead with six games left to play. One more point at home Sunday, and it's official.
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