Habs hang on, move into seventh

Nobody ever said it would be easy, but do these Canadiens have to make it so hard climbing to No. 7 from No. 9 in the Eastern Conference playoff race?

Easy is taking a 5-2 lead into the third period. Hard is allowing two early goals by the Maple Leafs last night before escaping with a 5-4 victory.

On this night, at least, it wasn't a case of the Canadiens being that good. Mostly, it was a matter of the Leafs being terrible for the first two periods, starting with goaltender Andrew Raycroft. It's why he was sitting in a corner across the ice from his bench a little beyond the midway point of the game - which is what happens to goaltenders who allow five goals on only 16 shots.

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