Inspired by excellent performances by Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk, the Canadiens won many loose puck battles on their way to a 4-2 victory against a Red Wings team who looked overwhelmed with the speed of the Montreal forwards.

Carey Price’s return to the lineup didn’t do anything towards stopping Montreal’s struggles as they dropped three of four games. Things were even worse in Laval as they lost all three games as they too were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

A solid start by the Canadiens was wasted as the team showed its full range of capabilities all in one night as they lost 6-4 to Washington on Saturday.

It was an incredibly sloppy game reserved for fans of each team far more than fans of good hockey but the Habs were ultimately able to put one home, squeaking by Buffalo 3-0 on Friday night.

Montreal’s struggles continued throughout the third quarter although a handful of forwards managed to earn good grades in the next instalment of our report cards.

The Habs once again tried hard but lacked imagination and an ability to create some offensive chances as they were shut out for a second consecutive game on Tuesday night in a 2-0 loss to Florida.

The Habs had some good performances mixed in with some ugly ones this past week as they continue to play out the stretch. In Laval, it was mostly the latter as the nightmarish second half of their season continues.

If not for Charlie Lindgren’s acrobatic saves, Saturday’s 4-0 loss to Toronto would have been a complete blow-out. Lindgren faced 49 shots, many of which were high-quality scoring chances as his team was a complete no-show.

Despite plenty of effort and a disciplined performance, the young Canadiens were shown what speed and talent can do in today’s NHL. They were peppered by the two-time defending champions from Pittsburgh as they fell 5-3 on Thursday night.

With the third quarter of the season having come and gone, here is our quarterly grade report focusing on Montreal’s goalies and defencemen.