The Montreal Canadiens had a good season in 2018-19. They were expected to miss the playoffs and they did, but by the narrowest of margins. Their 96 points were one of the best seasons ever by a team that did not qualify for the playoffs. In fact, it was only three points less than the St. Louis Blues who won the Stanley Cup.
That’s all well and good and moral victories are neat. However, fans of the Montreal Canadiens aren’t that into moral victories. They are more used to victories on the ice that lead to playoffs and deep postseason runs and Stanley Cup titles.