Crossing The NHL’s Atlantic Division: Week 26

Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

Montreal Canadiens

By Andy Bayer

As the Leafs have fallen, the Habs have risen. They’ve picked up six wins in their last seven games beginning with that miracle comeback against the Senators. The key to the Habs’ roll has been depth. They have been getting scoring from all of their lines. Unfortunately, all three members of their impressive fourth line – Brandon Prust, Dale Weise and Travis Moen – have been injured in recent games so their depth may be hurt for the next couple of weeks.

Two of those injuries – Weise and Moen – happened in a battle on Monday against the hated Bruins. That game started with a bang with Alexei Emelin crushing Milan Lucic on the first shift. Obviously that led to many extracurricular activities throughout the game, including Moen getting knocked out in a fight and Mike Weaver laying one of the best stand-up hits I’ve ever seen on Daniel Paille. The Habs had to play almost that whole game with 10 forwards and were obviously tired by the third period. The Bruins controlled possession but the Habs battled through it and pulled out the shootout win. Their success against the Bruins this year (3-1) bodes well for what may be a riveting second round playoff matchup. Of course, first the Habs will likely have to take care of the pesky Lightning.