The National Hockey League's daily Countdown to the Cup release, breaking down the playoff races, possible matchups, a few key individual statistics and more. Note the new feature, Who Can Clinch Tonight, at the bottom of this post, and check here for standings updated as games end.

Andrei Kostitsyn prepares to shovel in one of his two goals tonight, beating Ottawa goalie Martin Gerber and defenceman Chris Phillips.
John Mahoney, Gazette

Updated Standings | Lineups | AP Preview | Gazette Preview | Gazette Game Story | Game Summary | Event Summary | Boxscore | Boone | Carbo Press Conference | Koivu audio

Forty minutes of superb hockey. Twenty minutes of absolute domination by the visitor.

Finally: a 7-5 Canadiens victory over the Ottawa Senators tonight, and a confirmed ticket to the postseason, the Habs the first Eastern Conference team to assure its participation in the playoffs.

With the victory, Montreal moves seven points ahead of the Senators in the Northeast Division. The Habs remain three points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-1 losers tonight to the New York Islanders, in the East; the Penguins hold a game in hand. And Montreal is five points up on New Jersey, the Devils having played two less games.

The National Hockey League's daily Countdown to the Cup release, breaking down the playoff races, possible matchups, a few key individual statistics and more. Check here for standings updated as games end.

Habs coach Guy Carbonneau has had lots to smile about this season.
John Kenney, Gazette

So how, exactly, to explain this year's remarkable Canadiens, who have overachieved tremendously and now sit atop the Eastern Conference heading into tonight's Bell Centre game against the Ottawa Senators?

Is it chemistry in the dressing room? A mostly healthy team all season long? A few bounces that have gone their way?

“I think it’s everything,” says Canadiens head coach Guy Carbonneau, who himself has matured nicely behind the bench in his sophomore year. “The fact we stayed healthy all year is a big plus for our club. I won’t apologize for that. If people don’t like that we’re healthy, that’s too bad.

"We’ve worked hard at it. We’ve given (players) days off, we’ve played four lines and six defencemen, we’ve changed players sometimes when they were playing good, but nobody’s complained. Nobody’s come into my office and said, ‘I don’t play enough, I need to play more, we need to play three lines.’ "

Dave Stubbs crunches a few numbers today and finds some revealing, even surprising figures that have added up to a memorable season, the Canadiens on the brink of clinching a playoff berth with plenty of people to share the credit.

Pat Hickey reports from today's Canadiens practice that head coach Guy Carbonneau expects to use the same lineup tomorrow vs. the Ottawa Senators as that which he used Saturday against Boston.

There's a slight chance that Guillaume Latendresse will be ready to go, having missed Saturday's game with neck spasms, but it seemed unlikely.

Carey Price gets the start in goal.

Canadiens captain Saku Koivu scores the winning goal with his shootout backhand, beating Boston goalie Tim Thomas.
John Kenney, Gazette

Updated Standings | Lineups | AP Preview | Gazette Preview | Game Summary | Event Summary | Boxscore | Boone | Carbo Press Conference | Player Audio: Price Koivu Gorges

PAT HICKEY
The Gazette

Saku Koivu decided it as time to try something new.

When the Canadiens captain is involved in a shootout, he usually fakes a backhander and then cuts back to the forehand.

But tonight he stayed on his backhand and surprised Boston goaltender Tim Thomas to score the only goal in the shootout as the Canadiens defeated the Bruins 3-2 before the usual raucous Bell Centre sellout.

“Everybody has their favourite moves and I’ve done mine a few times and I decided it was time to come up with something else and it worked,” said Koivu.

The physical presence and leadership of Mike Komisarek will be missed.
Len Redkoles, NHLI via Getty Images

Canadiens defenceman Mike Komisarek is sidelined for three weeks with a lower-body injury suffered against the Bruins in Boston on Thursday.

Forward Guillaume Latendresse also won't play tonight in the Bell Centre rematch against the Bruins, suffering from neck spasms. Look for Bryan Smolinski and Steve Bégin to be in uniform, and Mark Streit likely pushed back to defence.

"Mike has a lower body injury, that's all I can tell you, and he's going to out a minimum of three weeks," head coach Guy Carbonneau said of Komisarek after this morning's game-day skate. "We hope that after two weeks we can evaluate him and go day-to-day after that, but it's going to be in that vicinity."

This will put Komisarek out of commission for the balance of the regular season and possibly the start of the playoffs. He's been enjoying a breakout season as a physical presence and a leader of the Habs on and off the ice, through 75 games having scored four goals and 13 assists with a +9 ranking, usually paired with Andrei Markov on the blue line.

This morning's NHL statistics have Komisarek leading all NHL defencemen in categories of hits and blocked shots.

Here's a brilliant feature on Alex Kovalev in today's Globe & Mail by the award-winning columnist and author Roy MacGregor. Don't miss it.

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This week's PuckCast is an abbreviated version with iron men Mike Boone and Kevin Mio holding court to discuss all things Canadiens.

With a postseason berth all but locked up, we look at possible playoff matchups and which team the Canadiens would fare better against. We also discuss the Canadiens' ironman, Mike Komisarek, whose streak could be in danger after being forced to leave Thursday's game against the Bruins with a lower-body injury. The latest reports list hims as questionable, so it will be Saturday before a decision will be made in his case.

Other topics include the dazzling goals of Alex Kovalev, the Saturday night rematch with the Bruins and why Tim Thomas can't seem to handle the Canadiens.

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We won't know the status of defenceman Mike Komisarek for Saturday's Bell Centre game against the Boston Bruins until tomorrow morning, at least.

Komisarek left Thursday's 4-2 Montreal victory in Boston after just four shifts and 2:45 of playing time with a lower-body injury, seemingly his lower back.

He'll see team doctors Saturday morning, at which time a decision on his status for the game is likely to be determined.

Look for Carey Price to be back in nets after his stellar, 34-save effort against Boston on Thursday. 

The National Hockey League's daily Countdown to the Cup release, breaking down the playoff races, possible matchups, a few key individual statistics and more. Check here for standings updated as games end.

Here's looking at you, kid.
Elsa/ Getty ImagesWith Montreal back in first place, it could be 40C outside and nobody would be talking about the weather. Well, maybe. With it feeling like -20C this morning, it seems that the only thing keeping us warm right now is the idea of locking up a playoff spot.

Below is this week's selection of the best posts from Habs Inside/Out users.

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Read a comment that you really liked? hated? laughed at?

Then send me a message to nominate a post for next week's Bench Talk. Make sure to include the original message in its entirety (you can use copy and paste), the username of the person who posted it, and the title of the thread under which it was posted.

To send me an e-mail, go to my profile, and then click "Contact". Thanks to everyone who sent me nominations for this week's edition of B.T.

Our friend Paul Kukla posts this short video clip of Alex Kovalev undressing Bruins captain Zdeno Chara last night. The Big Z was still looking for his cup later when Kovalev split he and Dennis Wideman to score his second highlight-reel goal.

You'll find both goals here, in TSN's video highlights package from last night.

Couldn't resist posting this terrific photo from last night by Steve Babineau, shooting for NHLI via Getty Images.

Enthusiastic Canadiens fans greet Carey Price and his teammates for tonight's game.
Steve Babineau, NHLI via Getty Images

Lineups | AP Preview | Gazette Preview | Bruins Preview | Game Summary | Event Summary | Boxscore | Boone

Ten games and counting. And how the Canadiens would dearly love to make it 11.

With plenty of CH-clad support in TD Banknorth Garden, the Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins 4-2 tonight to win their seventh straight game this season over their Beantown rivals. The streak is 10, counting three carried over from the 2006-07 NHL campaign, with a chance of stretching Saturday at the Bell Centre when the Northeast Division clubs meet again.

With the victory, the Canadiens vaulted a point ahead of the idle New Jersey Devils, who have two games in hand, to assume sole ownership of the Eastern Conference lead.

Sign tonight’s victory AK27, Alex Kovalev scoring two highlight-reel goals to pace the Canadiens, his second even more dazzling than his first, and adding an assist seemingly with eyes in the back of his head. And boldly initial it Carey Price; the Canadiens goalie made 34 saves, while his teammates managed 30 shots on Boston's Tim Thomas.

The win might have been costly, though Canadiens fans won’t know that until at least Friday. Defenceman Mike Komisarek left the game after roughly six minutes of the first period, having played just four shifts totalling 2:45. The team surely will describe it as a lower-body injury, but early indications were that Komisarek’s lower back sent him to an early shower.