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Posted at 1:00 PM EST.

10:35 PM EST. Regulation only. The Kings broke a 10-game losing streak with a 6-3 victory over Chicago but that’s only because Chicago’s goaltending is so bad. L.A. scored six times on 24 shots and are in line to start another losing streak tonight because this is the worst team in the game and it’s not even close. Over the past six weeks (we break the analytics down six weeks at a time), L.A. ranks dead last in the league in Scoring Chances by averaging a mere 18 per game. They also rank last or near the bottom in every other key offensive metric too. Defensively, things are a little better but so what, as the days of grinding out 2-1 wins are long gone but these Kings are stuck in that time warp.

To meet the coveted 96-point threshold they'll likely need to make the playoffs, the Canadiens need to win 10 of their last 16 games to hit 97 points. That should be enough to make the playoffs. Currently they hold a slim, two-point advantage over the Blue Jackets but the Jackets have a game in hand. Behind them are the Flyers with 72 points in 66 games so the Habs may get away with going .500 over the remainder of the season, but that matters not, as the point is that Montreal has to be locked in for all of its games. It is games like this one that is the gauntlet to earn a ticket to the second season. The “must win” angle is one we usually like to fade, as the teams in that position are usually overpriced and they’re usually a very average team to begin with. Neither of those two things apply here, as the Habs are not only one of the top possession and top defensive teams in the league with great goaltending but they are also underpriced here in a big way.

In the first game of a crucial three-game trip that will see them play San Jose next and then Anaheim, this first game has to set the tone. A loss here likely turns into two losses when they play in San Jose and the pressure really starts to mount. Opportunities like this one are few and far between and we can’t imagine for a second that after a 5-1 home loss on Saturday that we won’t see Montreal’s best effort here.  

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