There is joy in Montreal as the Canadiens have made the playoffs for the first time since the Covid year in 2021. The Habs clinched their spot as the No. 8 seed in the playoffs with a victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in the final game of the regular season. They will face the Washington Capitals in their first-round playoff series.

While the Habs have suffered through a long dry spell since their Stanley Cup victory in 1993, no team has had more success. The Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup 23 times in their illustrious history, and the Bell Center will be rocking when the series moves to Montreal for Games 3 and 4 of the series.

The Canadiens have been a motivated team throughout the second half of the season, and recent developments could allow them to push even harder during the postseason. Veteran defenseman David Savard has announced that he will be retiring from the sport at the conclusion of the team's playoff run.

Savard has played 14 seasons in the NHL, and he has been with the Canadiens for the last four seasons. He played the first 10 years of his career with the Columbus Blue Jackets before playing briefly with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was a part of Tampa Bay's winning Stanley Cup team in 2021.

The defenseman made his decision public Friday and confirmed it with reporters. He told the team of his decision several weeks ago.

Canadiens look to Savard for leadership and strength, not scoring

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Savard is not expected to play a key offensive role in the series against the Capitals. However, if Montreal is going to keep Washington from lighting up the scoreboard Savard will have to play a key role.

If Montreal is going to push Washington in this series, the Canadiens are going to have to hold Alex Ovechkin in check. In addition to slowing down the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer, they must do the same with Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson.

Montreal has plenty of offensive firepower and head coach Marty St. Louis will look to young star Nick Suzuki for leadership. Suzuki scored 30 goals and added 59 assists during the regular season and was often in the right position when the Canadiens needed a key goal.

In addition to Suzuki, the Habs will look to right wing Cole Caufield (37 goals), defenseman Lane Hutson (60 assists) and left wing Juraj Slafkovsky (51 points) to pick up the scoring load.