MONTREAL - Elation turned to devastation as former Canadiens farmhand J.T. Wyman squeezed a puck through Carey Price's legs towards the end of the second period. The weak dribbler put what looked like a secure lead (as if the Canadiens have had one all season) in doubt.

The 3-1 lead, made 3-2 on Wyman's first NHL goal, quickly turned to 3-3 on Marc-Andre Bergeron's loopy shot that popped over a ducking Mike Cammalleri to beat an unsuspecting Carey Price.

Vincent Lecavalier's goal 8:37 into the third period was the one that turned doubt into self-fulfilling nightmare, giving the Lightning a 4-3 lead.

The Canadiens fought hard but came up empty. A refrain uttered on too many occasions.

And while the fans collectively throw their hands in the air in dismay, the important thing is how the Canadiens respond to this latest dissolution of hope.

Looking for a positive?

I can offer a few:

-Erik Cole notched his 15th goal of the season. He's keeping pace with some of the best scorers in the league this season.

-Mike Cammalleri scored for the second consecutive game. He back-checked too.

-The Canadiens had everyone committed to playing all out in this game. They started slow, but really, the first goal allowed (a ridiculous tip-play that only the NHL's best scorer could pull off--as Stamkos did) was hardly a blemish on the Habs performance. Even after the devastating goal by Wyman, the Canadiens caught a couple of bad bounces, and still never gave up.

-They came within an inch of tying the game in the dying seconds, and they were clearly the better team in the final 10 minutes of the game.


Price will Rebound

You don't get the sense that this team is giving up on its chances. Everyone else around them is more than willing to proclaim they won't make the playoffs, but you can't deny that this team has the leaders to pull this team out of the Eastern Conference cellar.

To say they'll be able to make the playoffs would be a very difficult argument to make, but suggesting they'll sink without a fight is ignoring the character in that room.

It starts with Carey Price, who will admit to his teammates (if he hasn't already) that last night's loss was on him. He's likely to be the reason this team beats Florida on Saturday, and unlikely to be the reason they lose.

Healthy returns for Gomez, and more importantly Gionta and White must come soon for this team. They are in desperate need of experienced reinforcement.