Hockey Canada's Big Night as Habs Host Leafs

Frank Doyle wonders if Toronto can make up for a disappointing season by sending its greatest rival spiralling out of the playoffs.

They love their Habs in Montreal but sometimes you can’t help but wonder if the Habs love them back. Montreal has been on the verge of clinching a playoff spot in the East all week but the Canadiens have failed in their last two attempts and, even though the math says they’ll make it, you could forgive Les Quebecois for getting just a little bit nervous – not least as they’re fully aware of who is coming to the Bell Center for the final game of the season.

At the start of the week, the Canadiens only needed two points from their remaining three games to make it to the playoffs.

They looked home and hosed when they lead by a goal with two minutes to go against the dead-and-gone Islanders on Tuesday in New York but then Denmark’s Frans Nielsen scored to take the game to OT and rubbed further salt in the wound by scoring again in the shootout to leave the Habs one point short of the playoffs.

On Thursday Montreal moved on to Carolina – recently announced as the host of the 2011 All-Star game – and came away with nothing as Eric Staal made up for lost time by scoring three goals to help the Hurricanes blow the Habs away 5-2.

The Hurricanes, like the Islanders, are also out of the playoff race after a terribly slow start to the season. Carolina had nothing to play for but it was still good enough to put the Habs away.

In theory, Toronto has even less to play for than the Islanders or the Hurricanes, but hatred is a strange thing. The Forever Rivalry between Montreal and Toronto puts formline for NHL betting out the window as heart and desire can outweigh more tangible things like talent and skill.

The season series is 3-2 in favour of Montreal but one of those Toronto wins came in Montreal, when reserve goaltender Joey McDonald helped shut out the Canadiens 3-0 on December 1st. Toronto is the last team the Habs want to see at the Bell Center.

Even if they worst were to happen and Montreal were to come away with nothing on Saturday night, the Habs could still back into the playoffs depending on how things go between the Rangers and Flyers, who are making a late charge for the show.

But a game that matters against their greatest rival is not how the Habs would have wanted their regular season to finish as the playoffs loom next week – even though it’s precisely the sort of drama makes everybody love Hockey Night in Canada, and for which we will all tune in religiously. As usual.