For weeks, we’ve been posting the Eastern Conference standings every day, somewhere in an article, on the site. But this morning, we don’t need to do that, in my opinion.
Why? Because it’s simple: if the Canadiens get at least one point tonight, they’ll make the playoffs and face the Capitals in the first round. And if they don’t get any points tonight and the Blue Jackets beat the Islanders in 60 minutes tomorrow, it’s the Ohio club that will face the Caps.
It’s not more complicated than that.
Elsewhere in the NHL, it’s simple: 15 teams are eliminated, 15 teams already know they’re making the playoffs, and 14 clubs already know their opponent in the first round. #Suspense
Basically, the only team waiting, among the qualified teams, is the Caps.
The worst-case scenario for the Habs (losing in regulation tonight and the Blue Jackets winning in 60 minutes tomorrow) currently has a 15.4% chance of happening, according to MoneyPuck’s mathematical model.
But it won’t happen.
In the last week, the Canadiens have lost their last three games, including two in overtime. But tonight, the guys will understand the urgency of the moment against the Hurricanes, who will have many players from the minors in uniform.
How do I know? Because… because.
My prediction is that the players in place will learn from the last games, where things didn’t go very well. They will come out stronger than the Hurricanes, who are not excellent on the road and just want to avoid getting injured for the playoffs.
And they will win at home tonight.
We often say that the best players must be the best for the Habs, and I think that will be the case. I have the feeling that the first line will have a big game. That Mike Matheson will have a great game. That Lane Hutson will be hungry. That Samuel Montembeault will be a wall.
And that Ivan Demidov will again be the most visible player on the ice. It just remains to be seen if he will play with Joel Armia or not.
Because yes, Martin St-Louis will also have to coach a big game – and not just to maybe pass his Columbus counterpart in the Jack Adams vote at the end of the season.
The pilot knows that his team must take things into their own hands. And he knows that for the last time tonight, the team is in control of its destiny.
St-Louis knows it’s exciting, all this, but it’s also stressful. After all, if the Canadiens were to miss the playoffs in 2025, it wouldn’t be seen as “normal progress” compared to the expectations at the beginning of the season. #DansLeMix
It would be seen as a failure. As a team that has collapsed.
In Columbus, not making the playoffs would be seen as progress compared to October because nobody saw the team, which had just lost Johnny Gaudreau, making the playoffs. And recently, the team has been climbing the hill instead of rolling down it like the Habs. #QuestionDePerception
The people of the Canadiens also know how important it is to see the Habs qualify. Life in Montreal is different when the Habs are in the playoffs, since many people count on the Habs to help their business.
The last times the Habs were in the playoffs, it was in 2021 and 2020… but it was in the middle of a pandemic. Otherwise, you have to go back to 2017. Montreal is a different city compared to the last eight years, the people are different, but they need the Habs in the playoffs.
And for that, they need to win their spot in the sun tonight. Because if not, you know very well that the Blue Jackets have a good chance of winning in 60 minutes tomorrow against the Islanders and passing the Habs in the standings.
The guys in Montreal have shown they can do it. They just need to feed on the pressure (instead of being suffocated by it) and the fans will take care of playing the role of the seventh player.
Do your job, as Bill Belichick says.
Patrik Laine must score on the powerplay. Samuel Montembeault must get up at the right time. Nick Suzuki must guide the team. David Savard must be a master in front of his net.
If everyone brings their A-game, it will be fine. And I believe it.
overtime
– The Flames are eliminated and the Americans lost in the Four Nations Tournament. There are limits to what Johnny Gaudreau’s magic can bring to a team. Will it continue tonight at the Bell Centre?
– The debate among the coaches, the Rocket’s game to allow the team to finish first in the league: all this will be forgotten by many people tonight. It would have been less stressful if the Habs were already qualified, but it’s more exciting like this.
– It’s the most important game for the new core of players and the new management. Will everyone pass the test? Not making the playoffs could hurt Kent Hughes this summer when it’s time to sell his vision to some players…
– Reminder: tonight, Brendan Gallagher will wear his “hockey against cancer” jersey thanks to Lucie Lachance.
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