Heading into the 4 Nations break the Montreal Canadiens were dead in the water. The team had seemingly fallen out of playoff contention and were expected to be sellers at the NHL trade deadline. However, following the break the team found their second wind and went on a tear through February and early March. The team played so well that GM Kent Hughes decided to keep his assets to give his team the best possible chance at making the postseason.
Montreal Canadiens Playoff Hopes
The Habs found themselves in solid position in the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with games in hand on most teams. Since then, however, the Canadiens have gone 0-3-2. The team has played some uninspiring hockey down the stretch and they need to find that magic once more. They need to do so quickly if they intend to make the playoffs for the first time since 2021. So what are the Montreal Canadiens playoff chances? Let’s analyze the East playoff race and what needs to happen for Montreal to find themselves in the playoffs.
Packed Eastern Wild Card Race
The Eastern Conference wild card race has been interesting to follow down the stretch. The Ottawa Senators seemingly have a stranglehold over the first wild card position. Several teams have inserted themselves into the mix and are vying for that second wild card berth. Detroit, Columbus, the Islanders, and the Rangers join Montreal in the hunt. As it currently stands, the Blue Jackets, the Rangers, and Canadiens are all tied with 75 points. The New York Islanders trail by a point with the Red Wings three points back.
The Canadiens have been fortunate that their counterparts have also been mostly losing during their skid. However, the opposition has now gained ground on them once more. Montreal needs to snap out of their funk quickly before the other teams surpass them. With their next two games against the defending cup champion Florida Panthers, this may not be an easy task.
Need Improved Defence and Goaltending
The Canadiens lacked structure defensively at the start of the year and weren’t getting respectable goaltending. As a result they found themselves in the NHL’s basement. As the year has progressed they have formed a cohesive defensive structure and gotten solid goaltending from Sam Montembeault and Jakub Dobes. However, down the stretch that has all fallen apart once again.
The Canadiens have several players struggling on the backend. The only player creating anything from the blueline has been rookie defenceman Lane Hutson. The return of Kaiden Guhle from injury will hopefully help shore things up for Montreal. As far as goaltending is concerned, Montembeault has struggled of late. This may be in large part due to a heavy workload, however, Dobes hasn’t fared much better when he’s been in the crease. The Canadiens will lean on Montembeault the rest of the way and they’ll need him in top form if they have any shot at the postseason.
Offensive Stars Need to Carry Load to Increase Montreal Canadiens Playoff Chances
Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky have formed the Canadiens top line for most of the year. The trio have combined for the majority of the teams offence with Suzuki standing at 73 points and Caufield with a career-high 34 goals. The top line has struggled to create over the last five contests though, with only four goals combined during those contests. The teams offenisve trio along with Lane Hutson and Patrik Laine will need to carry the laod for the Canadiens the rest of the way. If the Montreal Canadiens are to make the playoffs, it will have to be on the backs of its stars.
Main Photo Credit: Jeff Curry – Imagn Images
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