Poor Len sees the Canadiens in his crystal ball... but dimly

Ed. here. National Hockey League playoffs begin in three weeks, roughly (geddit?), so I call on our National Sports (read: Hockey) Editor, Poor Len Canayen, to give us an assessment of how Canada's team, the Montréal Canadiens, are likely to do... if they make it that far.

Tank youse, Hed. I assure you that when the NHL's Northern (read: Canadian) Division playoffs start, les Canadiens seront là! At least, that's how the standings look this morning. The Habs are in 4th place, 4 points ahead of the Calgary Flames, but with a game in hand. If the order of finish at the end of this shortened season is the same then as now, the Canadiens will meet first-place Toronto in a match-up long dreamed of by frostback fans.

It's getting from here to there that's going to be the problem. Les Glorieux  have games tonight and tomorrow night, at le Centre Bell, against the Winnipeg Jets and the last-place Ottawa Senators. They face the Maple Leafs on Monday night. They need to win at least one of those game, and even against the Sens they face a challenge.

Why? Because the Habs are without five (count `em - 5) of their regular players.

Goalie Carey Price is recovering from a concussion. He has started working out at the gym but hasn't laced on the skates, and may be out until playoff time. That leaves Jake Allen to carry the load, with perhaps one start going to rookie backup Cayden Primeau. 

Allen has been playing well enough, except when he tries to handle the puck behind the net. It's lack of offence that's the problem. In the last four games, the Habs have scored a measly seven (count `em - 7) goals. They are the only team currently in a playoff position with a negative +/- goal count.

Where are the guys who are supposed to put the puck in the net? Brendan Gallagher, the heart and soul of la Sainte Flannelle, is nursing a broken thumb. He's skating but won't be available until the playoffs. Tomas "Tuna" Tatar, who normally plays on the other side of the first line, is day-to-day with a "lower body injury".  So is shifty speedster Paul Byron, also one of the key players on the penalty kill.

The fifth missing member is Jonathan Drouin, the superstar who never was. He has taken a leave of absence "for personal reasons". Clearly he needs some respite from the pressure that only Québécois playing in Montréal truly feel. We wish him well. The good news is that the Habs have finally been able to insert in the lineup rookie Cole Caulfield, just arrived from a great season in US college hockey. While he has yet to score in the two games he's appeared in, signs of greatness are there.

So... every game between now and end of the season is crucial, and every one looks like being a nail-biter. Getting into the playoffs will be a win for the wounded Canadiens. Don't look for more than that when they meet Austin Matthews & Co. (the Leafs). If they can win one or two games of that first series, that will be triumph enough. Bon match, les gars... et bonne chance!