Canadiens Tank Tracker: Habs Get Big Boost In Lottery Race

The Montreal Canadiens got some big help on Tuesday night to help them hold down an advantageous position in the upcoming NHL Draft Lottery.

The Canadiens just came off a difficult loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, who, prior to Tuesday night’s game, had a small two-point advantage on Montreal.

With last night’s victory, not only did the Flyers increase their lead on the Canadiens by two points, but they also hold two games in hand on Montreal that are still left to be played.

Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes seemingly played his hand by calling up Cayden Primeau from the Laval Rocket and insisting that Sean Farrell make his NHL debut against the Flyers.

Yes, it was a great opportunity to test the two youngsters against a weaker team, but it also meant that the Habs wanted to ice a weaker lineup on a back-to-back.

They ended up getting their desired outcome from a Draft Lottery perspective, as the loss created much-needed separation from their direct rivals, leaving only the Arizona Coyotes up on their heels.

Three Team Race

Montreal is still holding down 28th place in the NHL standings with 66 points in 75 games, but is followed almost immediately by the Arizona Coyotes in 27th place with 67 points in 75 games.

The Canadiens, however, have one of the harder schedules to end the year, with games against the Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs still to come.

Meanwhile, the Arizona Coyotes face the Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks down the stretch; along with three games against the Seattle Kraken.

The Flyers also have a rather tough schedule ahead, but finish the season with games in Columbus and Chicago this season; which could come into play in the final moments of the season.

Creating Another Tier

Needless to say, at this junction, the Canadiens look to be a virtual lock to finish anywhere between 5th and 7th-best odds for the NHL Draft Lottery; which could be a major boon for the organization.

That’s due in large part to the surge up the standings by the Vancouver Canucks, who have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL since March.

Climbing back to a .500 record with 74 points in 74 games, they’re currently tied with the St. Louis Blues in points, but were edged out of 23rd place by tiebreaker.

The Detroit Red Wings, who had had a significant slide down the standings in March, also got an important win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night putting them at 73 points in 73 games this season.

In short, the Canadiens’ woes, along with their rivals’ success, have created an extra tier of teams in the bottom 10 of the NHL standings.

The Blues, Canucks and Red Wings find themselves battling it out for the final spots in the bottom 10 (25th, 24th and 23rd overall), leaving the Flyers, Coyotes and Canadiens to flesh out the middle of the bottom 10 (26th, 27th and 28th overall).

There’s still lots of hockey to be played, but things are starting to materialize.