On Tuesday night, the Montreal Canadiens closed out the month of March in Tampa Bay. The game against the Lightning was the third of a five-game road trip. The result was a 4-1 win for the Habs.
Here’s what’s on my mind.
Milestone watching is fun.
Caufield is chasing 50 goals and got his 47th against Tampa. Suzuki is chasing 100 points and got his 92nd when he scored the Habs fourth goal. Slafkovsky is chasing 30 goals and scored his 29th on the opening goal. That’s just the top line.
Speaking of the top line, they were really buzzing against the Lightning. Remember when it used to take Slaf a week to get a shot off? He’s magic on the power play right now.
The Habs depth is paying off.
Joe Veleno had a solid game again last night. No flash. Just using his speed to forecheck and get back on defense. In the meanwhile, Dach and Texier are getting closer to ready. Who do you sit to get those guys back in the line-up? It’s a great problem to have when you’re hoping for more than a round of playoff hockey.
What’s the plan on D?
After calling up Adam Engstrom from Laval after Sunday’s game, the Canadiens announced on Tuesday morning that Alex Carrier would be out two to four weeks with an upper body injury. That leaves Noah Dobson as the only right shot D in the line-up.
Engstrom was a logical recall, being a left shot who plays right side, and has shown he’s NHL ready. He will see some ice time, likely on this road trip. If Engstrom plays like he can, he may still be there when Carrier returns.
The Carrier injury makes it a little iffy that we’ll see a Reinbacher recall. HuGo wants to ease him in, and that’s easier with five regular NHLers in the D group.
The Habs are on a roll with six consecutive regulation wins.
Hab At Her 