The Montreal Canadiens had a near perfect weekend against the Ottawa Senators (the second place Sens still picked up one point). The Habs picked up two important wins against a team that was within striking distance for\u00a0the Atlantic Division lead. With Saturday’s 4-3 shootout win and Sunday’s 4-1 victory, the Habs sit\u00a0four points ahead of the Ottawa\u00a0for first in the division. To make Habs fans even happier is this next week ahead for Montreal and Ottawa. The Habs and Sens renew hostilities next Saturday, but before then each team plays twice. Montreal\u00a0has the luxury of playing a basement dwelling team in Detroit and a non-playoff team in Carolina. For the Sens, they are in tough\u00a0with a date with Boston, who sit four points back of them. After that they take a trip to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins.<\/p>\n
With that being said, Montreal looks to be in prime contention to run away with the Atlantic before the two teams meet again on Saturday. Before we get to carried away with the future, its time to reflect on what was a important weekend for Montreal.<\/p>\n
Here are some take aways from Montreal’s successful weekend.<\/p>\n
Montreal’s first line of Max Pacioretty<\/a><\/strong>, Alexander Radulov<\/a><\/strong> and Alex Galchenyuk<\/a><\/strong> recorded one point total in the two games. With the first line not much of a factor this past weekend, Montreal’s secondary scoring picked up their slack. Phillip Danault<\/a><\/strong> snapped a 21-game scoring drought. His play along with Brendan Gallagher<\/a><\/strong>, who also scored this weekend, and Paul Byron<\/a><\/strong> has shown fans they can be a legit second line threat with a mix of speed and grit. Tomas Plekanec<\/a><\/strong> also got the figurative monkey off his back, scoring his first goal in nineteen games. Andrew Shaw<\/a><\/strong> found his way on the score sheet as well. Along with playing smart hockey that led to him not taking unnecessary penalties, which\u00a0has frustrated fans all season.<\/p>\n Montreal’s lack of secondary scoring has been an issue during\u00a0the second half of the season.\u00a0Montreal fans hope that this past weekend was not a fluke, but indeed their coming out party.<\/p>\n Thank you Calgary. Paul Byron has been nothing short of\u00a0spectacular this campaign. Byron was scooped off waivers<\/a> prior to last season and played his way into an every day NHLer. The 27 year old has found his game in Montreal, scoring a career high 11 goals last year. That led to him earning a new three-year deal mid way through last season. Montreal has been rewarded for their faith in Byron, as he scored his 20th goal\u00a0this past weekend against his hometown\u00a0team. With his success comes more responsibilities. Byron who was known for his penalty killing ability, now has also slid into the first power play unit for Montreal. Not only that, but he has played his way into likely being protected by the Habs in the upcoming expansion draft.<\/p>\nPaul Byron: The Waiver Wire Gem<\/h3>\n
Carey Price<\/h3>\n