Habs 3, Leafs 4 (OT): Elusive point get, playoffs clinched, but I'm not amused...

That dude on the right. Yea, that's how it feels.

Indeed. The Habs clinched a playoff position while on a 3-game losing streak.

Flashback to Game 1 again. I know I did this in the previous post but I'll do it anyway. The Habs won that game 4-3 in OT with Josh Gorges following up on a rebound created by Mike Cammalleri. Price stole that game with 43 saves on 46 shots compared to the 22 saves on 24 shots by Vesa Toskala. Clearly the Habs could have beaten the Leafs in regulation that night in Toronto if they had swarmed Toskalol.

Flashforward to Game 82. The Habs lose the game 4-3 in OT with bridgetroll Dion Phaneuf surprising Halak with a wrister. Contrary to Game 1, in no way shape or form did Jaro match Price's stellar season opening performance like we hoped he would and Habs were bloody lucky they managed to get that 1 point they needed because of that. This time it was JS Giguere, making 34 saves on 37 shots, including a game saver on Cammy as he turned the Leafs D inside out only a few minutes prior to Phaneuf's goal. Jaro only faced 15 shots when it was tied up in the 2nd period and a poor decision on playing the puck allowed the Leafs to tie it up in the first place. He gave me zero confidence all night. He was deep in his net, looked nervous, pucks kept bouncing out of his glove (and he's had a glove side problem for the past 3 games now), and looked small. After Hanson tied it up in the 3rd with a shorthanded goal, CBC's Jeff Marek tweeted "If that was Price on the Hanson goal would he get a) pulled b) boo'd c) both?". All I can think of was "DO NOT WANT BRONZE MEDAL GAME 3RD PERIOD MELTDOWN".

If that was his Game 7 moment... Well, let's just say he's a good back up who had a lot of luck this year and now the cracks are showing.

The team did play ok. Defense still needs work. SERGEI NEEDS TO PLAY unless he's injured and not 100%. Just kept getting deflated all game. Need to work on 2-on-1s, keep your stick on the ice, tip-ins to wide open nets. They need to calm down, shoot more, want the puck more. Unlike Game 1 the powerplay did it's job once, and then gave up a shorthanded goal thanks to the slowfooted pylons on the blue line.

Game of the year and the Coach benches one of his best players for a career AHLer. Unbelievable. I know, I love Darche Vader as much as the next, but really, Sergei would have buried that.

Game of the year and the Coach puts Slippy on D. His shot can kill people, and he murdered Giguere's water battle with it, but please, keep him away from playing defence.

All comments aside, they're in. That elusive one point they searched for for weeks now...they finally got it. Let's remember this is a new team coupled with a new coach and the injuries, oh the injuries this team has had! In fact they only had a full healthy line up for like 2 games if that all year.

So we should be happy there's more hockey. Yes we could be facing the Devils...but there's also a possiblity, if the Flyers win tomorrow in regulation (and I won't hold my breath on that), we get the Capitals.

I would rather the Capitals. Frankly if I'm going to spend that kind of money on playoff tickets, I want to be entertained not bored out of my skull.

Yes, I'm being selfish. Hey, it's the LEAST I could ask for, being a loving fan who had to live through this season.