While Montreal’s first-round pick was locked in heading into Monday’s Draft Lottery, there was still some intrigue for the Canadiens as the outcome of the lottery would dictate which first-round pick they’d receive to complete the Sean Monahan trade.
After getting the win in the third game of the series last week, the Habs weren’t able to hold serve at home, paving the way for their season to come to an end in Washington in Game 5.
On Friday, the Habs cleaned out their lockers and met with the media for the final time before parting ways for the offseason. Here is some news of note from those discussions.
After a bye in the opening round of the playoffs, Laval will get their postseason officially underway on Wednesday as they begin a best-of-five series against Cleveland, the affiliate of Columbus.
After a big win on Friday to get back into the series, the Habs looked to equalize things against Washington on Sunday. They had the lead in the third but couldn’t hold on, falling 5-2.
The first three games of Montreal’s first-round series against Washington are in the books. After a couple of tough losses, they took care of business on home ice to keep within striking distance in a series that could be shaken up by injuries.
Laval finished up their regular season with three games against Belleville, a division rival that they’ve struggled against at times. However, they were able to pick up a pair of victories to secure first overall while also eliminating the Senators from playoff contention.
The Habs didn’t exactly make it easy on themselves but in the end, they managed to do just enough to take care of business in the final week of the season to secure the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Last month was a solid one for Laval as they propelled themselves toward clinching the top spot in the division. Meanwhile, some of Montreal’s lesser-known prospects had some strong performances to earn a mention here for the first time this season.
On Wednesday, the Habs had one last chance to clinch a playoff spot as they hosted Carolina. They struggled to bury some of their top scoring opportunities but it didn’t matter as Montreal doubled up the Hurricanes 4-2.