from Ryan Dixon of Sportsnet,

If it’s lonely at the top, lord knows it can often be something far worse at the bottom.

Lately, though, the two worst teams in the NHL have witnessed some sunshine break through the basement cracks.

The Montreal Canadiens have been transformed under first-time NHL coach Martin St. Louis, while another Francophone, André Tourigny, is overseeing an Arizona Coyotes team that — in a disastrous season on and off the ice — is finally seeing a positive or two.

The Coyotes were downright offensive on Saturday, scoring four unanswered third-period goals to turn a 5-4 deficit against the Ottawa Senators into an 8-5 victory. The Canadiens, meanwhile, won for the seventh time in their past eight outings by more or less taking it to the Edmonton Oilers in Northern Alberta to the tune of 5-2.

A month into the campaign, these two squads combined for six wins in 34 attempts. Since Feb. 1, the Habs have the 13th-best points percentage in the league at .583, while the Desert Dogs are No. 19 at an even .500.

You can spin that as bad news given both these outfits have no shot at the playoffs and are hoping for the best draft lottery odds possible. Arizona, specifically, came into this year with clear intentions of trying to snag that No. 1 pick.

continued