The Montreal Canadiens continue their playoff chase and a three-game homestand with eyes on banking a third consecutive win when they host the archrival Boston Bruins on Thursday night.
Montreal (35-30-9, 79 points) stayed two points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot after concluding a season sweep of the Florida Panthers with a 3-2 Tuesday win in overtime. The teams also played Sunday in Florida, with the Canadiens winning 4-2.
The victories followed a five-game winless streak (0-3-2) for Montreal, which was on the wrong side of the cut line as recently as Saturday.
“I almost feel like we’ve been better coming back than holding a spot,” Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. “You hope you get better at it every time. To me, we can’t be tight as a group because we are in the playoff picture right now. It’s the old cliche, ‘stick to the process’ and all that, but it’s really true.”
The Canadiens stuck to it and found two points on Tuesday, with captain Nick Suzuki providing the heroics for the Canadiens by scoring with 8.4 seconds left in regulation and ending the game 29 seconds into overtime to top Florida.
As defenseman Kaiden Guhle put it, every game is “do-or-die” these days — and recent games have shown a playoff-like atmosphere in the iconic Bell Centre.
“The pressure is on us, and you want that pressure,” he said. “I think we’re thriving with it right now and when the fans are how they (were on Tuesday), and the energy that’s in the building and you score with eight seconds left to tie it and win in overtime, it’s pretty unbelievable.”
Lane Hutson has continued to dazzle. He dished out three assists — including helpers on Suzuki’s tying and winning goals — to break Montreal’s record for a rookie defenseman. With 57, he sits just four shy of Larry Murphy’s NHL mark.
“Elite players always rise to occasions, and I feel he’s probably done that his whole life,” Suzuki said of the NHL’s reigning Rookie of the Month. “Big games don’t really get in his head. He just goes out there and does whatever he can to help the team.”
Forward Oliver Kapanen, a 21-year-old who made his NHL debut on Oct. 10 in Boston, was expected to join the Canadiens later on Wednesday.
While Boston (30-36-9, 69 points) won its first two games against Montreal in October and December, a current nine-game skid (0-8-1) leaves it at the bottom of the conference standings for the first time since 1997.
The Bruins’ woes continued with a 4-3 Tuesday loss to the Washington Capitals, despite two David Pastrnak goals. It was another strong performance for interim coach Joe Sacco’s club but a second straight one-goal defeat.
“We have to have that sticktoitiveness, that mindset where regardless of what happens, we’re going to play hard right to the very end,” Sacco said.
Pastrnak has six multi-goal games and 37 total tallies.
Despite the Bruins’ faded playoff hopes, all they can do is focus on what is to come. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman did that in a 28-save effort and has seen that mindset carry throughout the dressing room.
“You can’t really point a finger. It’s the way it’s going right now and we’re not going to dwell on the past,” Swayman said. “We have to stay in the present. And even then, I thought we had to push after (Washington made it 3-2 in the third period). It just goes to show what kind of team we have here and what we can do and keep pushing, no matter what.”
