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THE REGULAR SEASON

During the offseason, general manager Bob Gainey continues the rebuilding plan he began three years earlier.

He sends Richard Zednik to the Washington Capitals before acquiring Mike Johnson from the Phoenix Coyotes. Gainey also inks free agent winger Sergei Samsonov to a two-year deal.

In September, Gainey makes one more move just before the start of the season as he trades Mike Ribeiro to the Dallas Stars in exchange for veteran defenseman Janne Niinimaa. In addition, a rarity occurs when a junior age player makes the Canadiens’ lineup as 19-year-old Guillaume Latendresse begins the season in Montreal.

Guy Carbonneau, making his NHL head coaching debut, sees his team get off to an outstanding start. The Canadiens lose just twice in regulation in October.

The Habs maintain that pace throughout the fall and at the Christmas break they are in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 21-9-5 record.

That’s all about to change.

The goaltending tandem of Cristobal Huet and David Aebischer, which got excellent results through the first three months of the regular season, begins to struggle.

January and February prove tough on Carbonneau’s squad. They win only 11 of 28 games and slide down the standings, thanks in part to a nasty flu bug which ravages the club’s dressing room. From third place in December, the Habs drop to eighth place in the East on March 1, just one point ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes.

With Huet sidelined by a hamstring injury on February 14, the Canadiens have to find a way to win without their starting goaltender. Rookie Jaroslav Halak gives the team a shot in the arm after Guy Carbonneau calls on him to defend the team’s goal. From March 10 to April 3, he helps lead the team to nine wins in 11 games.

On April 5, with two games remaining in the regular season, the team is in eighth place, one point ahead of Toronto. The Habs then drop a 3-1 decision to the New York Rangers. Sheldon Souray manages to score his 19th power play goal of the season, breaking the league’s single-season record for a defenseman. Montreal will end the season with the top power play unit in the league, finishing the schedule with a 24 percent success rate.

Two days later in Toronto, the Canadiens have no choice but to win their final game of the season against the Maple Leafs in order to secure a playoff berth. Leading 5-3 late in the second period, the Habs give up a goal before heading to their dressing room. It’s a bad omen as Montreal yields the lead in the third period and goes on to lose, 6-5, failing to clinch a spot in the postseason.