Sometimes good news arrives through a stroke of luck. Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens are still in the running.
Looking at the reversed NHL standings on Tuesday morning, the Canadiens are still in 5th place, just behind the Arizona Coyotes.
With a loss on Tuesday night in regulation time, they would ensure they keep that 5th place in the lottery.
"Despite the point earned [last] night, the Canadiens maintain the 5th best lottery ticket for the draft because the tiebreaker favors the Coyotes. A regular-time loss [tonight] would confirm the 5th best ticket + a guaranteed top 7 pick for the Canadiens!" - Marc-Olivier Beaudoin
I'm not a fan of losing just to be at the bottom of the standings. Looking at the end of the Canadiens' season, they are really trying to win and giving us a good show.
So we have the best of both worlds. The team is competing, and they still have the possibility of getting the 5th best lottery ticket for Macklin Celebrini.
It's worth noting that the Coyotes and Senators are also winning. This greatly helps the Canadiens' cause, as they are a few key pieces away from succeeding in their rebuild.
With a top 5 pick this year, let's just say the future will be very bright for the Canadiens.