With loss to Bruins, Canadiens cement 41.8% odds of a top-5 pick

Had the Canadiens won their regular-season finale, their chances of getting a top five draft choice this season would have diminished from 41.8 per cent to 15.4 per cent.

Don't have an account? Create Account

You see, there’s a bright side to everything.

The Canadiens played well at times Thursday night against the Boston Bruins, the Presidents’ Trophy winners this season with the NHL’s best record. But they weren’t good enough against a team that easily could have gone through the motions in an attempt to avoid injuries before beginning the playoffs next week.

Boston came from behind, scoring the game’s final two goals in the third period, and edged Montreal 5-4 at the Bell Centre. The Bruins completed their schedule with a 65-12-5 record, good for 135 points, having established an NHL record earlier this week for the most points in a season. Boston also ended the season with eight consecutive victories.

The Canadiens, meanwhile, missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season, ending on a three-game losing streak. Indeed, the Canadiens won only one of their final eight contests and completed the year with a 31-45-6 mark.

The team, as everyone knows, was ravaged by injuries, up to and including the final two games.

Forward Mike Hoffman was taken into the boards late in the third period on Wednesday against the New York Islanders, didn’t return and wasn’t dressed on Thursday. Against Boston, Mike Matheson, the Canadiens’ best defenceman, didn’t return for the second period after suffering a lower-body injury.

Hoffman’s absence created an opening for Lucas Condotta, summoned earlier in the day from the Laval Rocket. He left the ice at Place Bell late in an optional practice, informed of his promotion by head coach Jean-François Houle.

Then, in a script that could have originated in Hollywood, Condotta opened the scoring less than four minutes into the game. His first NHL goal came in his first big-league game and on his opening shift.

Condotta, 25, became the second-oldest Canadiens player to score in his NHL debut, trailing only Fern Majeau, who was 27 when he scored in an October 1943 match.

“It’s a great feeling,” Condotta said. “I’m kind of speechless. I don’t really know what to say.”

Condotta said he was “really pumped and didn’t know” how to react upon learning the news. He said the reaction was “loud and nice to hear” after scoring, but otherwise proved to be a man of few words. Indeed, he was prompted by a television reporter to be more loquacious — and it worked, albeit ever so slightly.

“Some of the best fans in the world,” he said. “I grew up in Toronto and it beats it, times two.”

Nick Suzuki, Michael Pezzetta and defenceman Justin Barron scored the Canadiens’ other goals. Suzuki, the Montreal captain, produced his 26th goal this season, tying him for the team lead with Cole Caufield, who missed the last 36 games following season-ending shoulder surgery.

The Canadiens’ fourth line, consisting of Condotta, flanked by Pezzetta and Joël Teasdale who was playing his second game after being summoned from the Rocket, was its most consistent. Both Pezzetta and Teasdale each contributed an assist. It was Teasdale’s first NHL point after hitting the post against the Islanders.

While the Canadiens outshot Boston 34-21, they couldn’t take sufficient advantage of backup goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who was replacing the injured Linus Ullmark.

Trent Frederic, Jake DeBrusk, Dmitry Orlov, Charlie Coyle and David Pastrnak, with the winner at 11:00 of the third period, scored Boston’s goals. Pastrnak’s goal was his 61st this season. He’s the second Bruins’ player in franchise history to produce at least 60 goals and 50 assists in a season; Phil Esposito having accomplished the feat four times.

“We fought to the end and tried to win the game,” head coach Martin St. Louis said. “Conceptually, structurally, I thought we played a really good game tonight. That’s two games in a row against (Boston) that obviously set records this year and we were able to play with them.”

At the game’s conclusion, injured defenceman David Savard was presented with the Jacques Beauchamp trophy, awarded annually to someone who played a dominant role during the regular season without earning any particular honour. Savard finished well ahead of defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic and goalie Sam Montembeault. The voting was conducted by members of the Montreal media covering the Canadiens on a regular basis.

The players then posed for one final team photo — those who were active on the ice and the injured ones, including goalie Carey Price and forward Paul Byron, behind the Canadiens’ bench. It was difficult to determine which group was larger.