Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are back in the playoffs for the second straight season. The 24-time Stanley Cup champions sealed a berth in the postseason with a 4-3 overtime defeat to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.

Forcing the extra period was enough to get the job done regardless of the game's outcome.

🔵🔴 CLINCHED 🔵🔴

Welcome to the #StanleyCup Playoffs, @CanadiensMTL! pic.twitter.com/AuFMCFlr1g

— NHL (@NHL) May 11, 2021

With the Canadiens in, three teams have now qualified from the North Division, with four teams from each division moving on to the next stage.

          

Qualified Playoff Teams

Central

• Carolina Hurricanes (80 points)
• Florida Panthers (79 points)
• Tampa Bay Lightning (75 points)
• Nashville Predators (62 points)

East

• Pittsburgh Penguins (77 points)
• Washington Capitals (75 points)
• Boston Bruins (73 points)
• New York Islanders (71 points)

North

• Toronto Maple Leafs (76 points)
• Edmonton Oilers (70 points)
• Winnipeg Jets (59 points)
• Montreal Canadiens (58 points)

West

• Vegas Golden Knights (80 points)
• Colorado Avalanche (76 points)
• Minnesota Wild (75 points)
• St. Louis Blues (57 points)

Montreal will be looking to advance past the first round, something it hasn't achieved since 2015. It upset the Pittsburgh Penguins in the qualifying round of the amended 2020 postseason before falling to the top-seeded Philadelphia Flyers in six games.

Signing Tyler Toffoli to a four-year, $17 million deal looks like a masterstroke as he has registered 28 goals in his first season with the team, tied for sixth-most in the NHL. The offensive support for him has been somewhat lacking, though, with Jeff Petry the only other Canadiens player to have at least 40 points so far. Montreal's 2.91 goals per game rank 14th.

Carey Price has endured a tough go of it as well. His performance (.901 save percentage and 2.64 goals-against average) is solid but below what you'd expect of the NHL's highest-paid goaltender at $10.5 million annually. Price has also been sidelined with a concussion.

In general, the fanbase would probably be content with a trip to the second round. The team's winning percentage has increased slightly from .500 to .538 entering Monday, and there are encouraging signs for the future.

Almost all of the Canadiens' key players are returning next season. Nick Suzuki has provided solid returns (13 goals, 26 assists) in his second year, and 2019 first-round pick Cole Caufield made his NHL debut April 26 against the Calgary Flames.

Caulfield, 20, scored his first goal on May 1, delivering the decisive blow in overtime against the Ottawa Senators.

While the arrow is pointing upward for Montreal, it's probably too early to expect the team to make a lot of noise in the playoffs.

The Montreal Canadiens have had more games postponed because of the league's COVID-19 protocols.

The league announced Tuesday that the team's games through Sunday have been postponed following two players entering the league's protocol. 

The Canadiens were set to play the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night, but the league canceled that game for the same reason. 

According to Sportsnet, forwards Jesper Kotkaniemi and Joel Armia were the two players added to the COVID Protocol List on Monday, though the designation does not necessarily mean that they tested positive for the virus.

Both players played Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks and were on the ice for morning skate on Monday. The team's facility was closed on Tuesday and all players and staff are undergoing their regular testing for the virus, per Sportsnet's Eric Engels. 

Engels later added that there is only one Vancouver player on the league's COVID-19 list, though he did not play with the Canucks against the Canadiens.

The postponements are the first of the season in the league's North Division, which encompasses all seven of the NHL's Canada-based teams. The new postponements—which include scheduled games for Wednesday and Friday against Edmonton—bring the NHL total up to 45, though five of those were weather-related, according to the league. 

The Montreal Canadiens announced Friday that head coach Claude Julien will return to Montreal to rest following surgery to place a stent in a coronary artery after he was hospitalized with chest pain.

"Doctors expect a full recovery," the statement read.

The Habs are stationed in Toronto, the Eastern Conference's hub city for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs amid the coronavirus pandemic. They trail the Philadelphia Flyers 1-0 in their first-round series.

Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin previously confirmed assistant Kirk Muller will serve as the club's interim head coach for the duration of Julien's absence. No timetable was announced for his return.

"We don't expect him to be back during this series against the Flyers. Kirk [Muller], Dominique [Ducharme], and Luke [Richardson] will share the responsibility, however, Kirk is the associate head coach and he will assume the responsibility of head coach until Claude's return."

Montreal earned a berth in the 16-game postseason bracket by upsetting the Pittsburgh Penguins in the qualifying round. The Habs' 71 points (31-40-9) before play was halted March 12 were the lowest of any team included in the NHL's restart plans.

Julien knew the Flyers represented an even tougher test for his underdog Canadiens.

"We have to prepare to play, in my estimation, the best team in the Eastern Conference right now by their play," Julien told reporters before the series started.

Jakub Voracek and Joel Farabee scored for Philadelphia and Carter Hart made 27 saves en route to the Game 1 win Wednesday. Shea Weber netted the Montreal goal.

The victory solidified the Flyers as a substantial favorite (-480) to advance, per Caesars Palace.

Game 2 is scheduled for a 3 p.m. ET faceoff Friday on the NBC Sports Network.

Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin announced Thursday head coach Claude Julien was hospitalized with chest pain. Associate coach Kirk Muller will serve as the Habs' interim head coach. 

Bergevin added Julien's health situation is not related to COVID-19 but it's unlikely he'll return to the bench during the team's first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers, per TSN's Frank Seravalli.

The Flyers scored a 2-1 victory over the Canadiens in Game 1 on Wednesday night.

Julien is in the fourth season of his second stint as Montreal's head coach. He previously served in the same capacity from 2002 through 2006, which was his first head coaching job.

The Habs entered the restructured 24-team playoffs, a change caused by the coronavirus pandemic, as the No. 12 seed in the Eastern Conference. They upset the Pittsburgh Penguins in the qualifying round despite a lackluster 31-40-9 record during the regular season.

Julien was impressed with how his team responded to the challenge.

"It's not so much what you learn, but it's what we were able to prove," he said. "I always felt we had good leadership, good character. We're a young team. We had some areas there that, during the season, we wanted to see improve. And we've got an opportunity, here in the playoffs, to come and play under pressure situations, and what I've liked about our team is how well we handled it."

The 60-year-old Ontario native has compiled a 658-440-10-148 record across 18 years as an NHL head coach with the Canadiens, Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils. He led the Bruins to a Stanley Cup championship in 2011.

Muller is a former NHL center who played for the Habs from 1991 through 1995. He posted an 80-80-27 record in three years as the Carolina Hurricanes' head coach from 2011 until 2014.

He joined Julien's Canadiens staff in June 2016.

Game 2 of the series between Montreal and Philadelphia is scheduled for Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, the host city for the Eastern Conference's bubble.

Former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov retired Thursday, his agent confirmed to Igor Eronko of Russian paper Sport-Express.

Markov spent the past three seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League and made 23 regular-season appearances for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in 2019-20.

Once a mainstay of Montreal's defense, his 990 games played are sixth-most in Canadiens history. He's also sixth all time in franchise history in assists (453).

The 41-year-old had a decorated career in the NHL and abroad. He was an All-Star on two occasions in both the NHL (2008 and 2009) and KHL (2013 and 2018) and helped Ak Bars Kazan lift the Gagarin Cup as KHL champions in 2018.

Markov represented Russia at the international level and collected three IIHF World Championship senior medals. He was a member of the 2008 team that captured gold, the country's first title in the competition since 1993.

Markov told the Montreal Gazette's Stu Cowan in August 2019 that he was hopeful of ending his career in Montreal. Unable to secure a deal in the NHL, he signed with Lokomotiv that October.

The KHL canceled the remainder of this season in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Andrew Zadarnowski of TSN 960 Radio reported Lokomotiv wasn't planning to give Markov an extension, which raised doubt about his future on the ice.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry is opening tabs at two different local restaurants to feed hospital employees during the coronavirus pandemic.

As the veteran explained in an Instagram post, he will open $2,500 tabs at Mandy Salads and Notre-Boeuf-de-Grace beginning Sunday for anyone who shows a hospital badge to receive a free meal.

Petry explained his admiration for the hospital workers in the post:

"The around the clock hours they are working to help fight this crazy virus is nothing short of heroic. I’m sure they would say 'I’m just doing my job', but to us it’s more than that. These selfless individuals are not only putting themselves at risk, but are also dealing with the same stresses that come along with these circumstances when they go home. We want them to know we are thinking of them & supporting them."

The 32-year-old is in his sixth year with the Canadiens after beginning his career with the Edmonton Oilers.

While the NHL season has been on hiatus to help slow the spread of the disease, multiple hockey players have taken it upon themselves to help their communities.

New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist donated $100,000 to a New York City food bank.

According to CNN.com, there have been about 680,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide as of Sunday with about 125,000 in the United States and more than 5,000 cases in Canada.

The Montreal Canadiens announced Tuesday they will lay off 60 percent of personnel in a "temporary reduction" that will take effect March 30.

The NHL season has been suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Groupe CH, which owns the team, has established a $6 million assistance fund for the affected employees to earn 80 percent of their base salary for a period of eight weeks.

Groupe CH owner, president and CEO Geoff Molson discussed the move in a statement:

"Now more than ever, it is important to support our community and demonstrate our solidarity to one another. We are working extremely hard to limit the impact this situation will have on our employees. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our employees for their understanding and patience. During difficult times like these, our commitment to one another will help us rebound faster."

The New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia 76ers announced Monday they would be reducing the salaries of full-time employees by 20 percent, per Marc Stein of the New York Times. However, the ownership group decided to change course after public pressure, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The remaining NHL teams will try to stay afloat with plenty of uncertainty around when the league will return to action.

As of Tuesday, COVID-19 has been confirmed in more than 372,000 cases worldwide, leading to over 16,000 deaths, per the World Health Organization.

Hockey Hall of Fame center Henri Richard, who won an NHL-record 11 Stanley Cup titles with the Montreal Canadiens, died Friday at the age of 84.

The Canadiens, with whom Richard played his entire 20-year career from 1955 through 1975, announced the news.

"Henri Richard was one of the true giants of the game," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "The entire National Hockey League family mourns the passing of this incomparable winner, leader, gentleman and ambassador for our sport and the Montreal Canadiens."

Richard recorded 1,046 points (358 goals and 688 assists) in 1,258 regular-season games. He added 129 points (49 goals and 80 assists) in 180 playoff appearances for the Habs.

His list of accolades includes nine All-Star Game selections and the 1974 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, the NHL's annual award for the player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication" to the sport.

The Montreal native was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1979 and was named one of the 100 greatest players in NHL history as part of the league's centennial celebrations in 2017.

Richard was the younger brother of fellow Canadiens legend Maurice "Rocket" Richard.

The brothers helped lead the Habs to five straight championships from 1956 through 1960.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber may return from his ankle injury as soon as Tuesday, according to coach Claude Julien.

"It'll be up to him," Julien said Monday, per Eric Engels of SportsNet.

Weber has not played since Feb. 4, and the Canadiens announced just five days ago that he would miss the next four-to-six weeks. With Montreal floundering and in danger of missing a playoff spot, it appears Weber is going to try to gut through the pain and return earlier than expected.

Weber said he's been told he cannot do any more damage to the ankle, so this will be more of a pain-management situation. The four-to-six-week timetable was initially greeted with relief considering many thought Weber would be out even longer. 

"I heard the same rumors as everybody else, that this was very serious," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said Saturday. "I think what really happened was Weber is very private and the Canadiens are generally very private and they just felt that they weren't going to give an update until they knew [they] were very sure and they didn’t know for sure until eight days after."

The 34-year-old is producing a solid 2019-20 campaign, posting 13 goals and 21 assists from the back line. The ankle injury came after it seemed like Weber would be getting through a full season healthy for the first time since 2016-17. He was limited to 26 games in 2017-18 and 58 last season.

The Canadiens are currently nine points out of a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with 21 games remaining. They've dropped four of their last six games with Weber out of the lineup.

While it's possible Weber can play through the pain, it's another question entirely about whether he can play effectively. A sprained ankle will cause pain any time he tries to shift his momentum, and while speed skating isn't a huge priority for the veteran, him even being a half-tick slower can be the difference between a stop and an open shot for an opponent. 

The 2019 NHL Awards provided a touching moment as Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price surprised a young fan with a special appearance. 

Presenter Camille Kostek brought a young fan named Anderson Whitehead onto the stage in the middle of the show. While it started out with Kostek revealing that a $100,000 donation was being made to the "Hockey Fights Cancer" effort, Price sent Whitehead a video message that wound up turning into so much more:

Not only did Price shock Whitehead by coming onto the stage, but he also provided him with a jersey and a trip to the 2020 NHL All-Star Game in St. Louis, Missouri.

As Kostek noted, Price's appearance served as a reunion. He and Whitehead previously met back in February after the fan's mother, Laura McKay, died of cancer at the age of 44 in November.

This is everything — this young fan, Anderson, met his idol @CP0031, after his mother passed away due to cancer. She had promised him that she would do everything in her power to help the two meet and it happened. This right here is hockey. #OurGreatGame

(🎥 FB/ Tammy Whitehead) pic.twitter.com/ww6jLM2yoF

— NHL (@NHL) March 1, 2019

Nous avons une mise à jour du jeune partisan qui a rencontré Carey Price samedi après le décès de sa mère en novembre. Beau sourire, Anderson! ❤

We have an update from the young fan who met @CP0031 last week after his mother passed away in November. Great smile, Anderson! pic.twitter.com/wJYzGlH8cR

— x - Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 1, 2019

According to Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette, it was McKay's dream for Whitehead—a Price fan—to meet the Canadiens goalie.

"It was very cool," Anderson said of his February encounter with Price, per Cowan. "It's the happiest I've ever been in my life. I always hoped it was going to happen. My mom always said it could happen."

Thanks to Price, Wednesday was another unforgettable night, and there is still more to come.