Wild

Last night was the second Habs game I've attended this season, but it was the first real game I've seen at the Bell Centre since hockey returned this year (the other was a boring 5-2 win over the Phoenix Coyotes). The way the Canadiens have been playing, and the way the fans have responded, would make anyone from another city (except maybe Toronto) think that we were already in the third round of the playoffs.

Sure, the Habs beat a team whose defensive corps was depleted by injuries, but it worked the other way around when the Sens beat Montreal earlier on in the season. The Habs, in various games, had been missing the likes of Richard Zednik, Mike Komisarek, and Sheldon Souray, and were still dealing with the spotty goaltending of José Theodore in their losses to the Sens. Last night, however, the Habs got exceptional goaltending yet again from Theodore's trade partner, David Aebischer.

This win puts the Canadiens almost completely out of the Atlanta Thrashers' reach, as Bob Hartley's squad would basically need to win all of their remaining games in order to surpass the Habs. A Canadiens win and a Thrashers loss, or 2 Atlanta losses, will clinch the Habs a spot in the playoffs. But while Montreal has taken advantage of having their fate in their own hands, it will now take them a little help from the Devils if they want to move into the sixth position in the East. The Devils have one more win than the Canadiens, and the two teams face off once more in what will be the final game of the season for both clubs on April 18.

Last night's win marked only the third time in 10 years that the Canadiens have reached the 90+ point plateau in the standings. The other teams that were successful in that regard were the 2003-'04 (93 pts.) and 1995-'96 (90) teams. The 1992-'93 Canadiens finished the regular season with 102 points.