Top-5 : the Blue Jackets bump the Habs out of a playoff spot

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With the current playoff race completely crazy in both the East and the West, every NHL hockey evening is crucial.

So, it’s essential to closely monitor each of the other teams’ results to see the updated standings afterwards.

Last night, there were some big games, and they had a direct impact on the two playoff races.

1. The Blue Jackets win a crazy game and overtake the Canadiens

With a fifth straight loss last night, the Montreal Canadiens had to rely on other teams once again to keep their playoff spot.

And lo and behold, after several very lucky evenings where the Canadiens’ opponents in the playoff race lost, what was bound to happen did, as the Columbus Blue Jackets overtook the Habs.

In fact, thanks to their 7-6 shootout win in a completely crazy game against the Vancouver Canucks, the Jackets joined the Habs at 75 points, but since they’ve played one fewer game, they moved ahead.

(Credit: NHL.com)

The Habs are therefore out of the playoff picture for the first time since March 17. Martin St-Louis’ team had held the last playoff spot in the East for nearly two weeks.

The Blue Jackets are indeed back in the mix, and compared to the Canadiens, they put on quite a show for their fans, demonstrating incredible fight and intensity to come back from 0-3 and 3-5.

In short, the Habs are currently out of the playoffs, and it’s entirely deserved when you look at how the team has been playing this week.

Of course, nothing is set in stone, but the Habs will have to bounce back quickly if they want to avoid sinking even lower.

2. The Rangers escape with a big point against the Anaheim Ducks

After seeing the Blue Jackets win, Habs fans had to at least hope that the Rangers would lose to the Anaheim Ducks later in the evening, and that’s exactly what happened.

The Rangers lost in overtime by a score of 5-4, and thus earned only one point, which keeps them behind the Canadiens, even though they also have 75 points.

They’ve played one more game and will be back in action tonight against the San Jose Sharks.

We can thank Mason McTavish for his winning goal in overtime, and also Olen Zellweger, who tied the game with less than two minutes left in the third period.

3. Connor Hellebuyck’s seventh shutout this season

Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck added to his impressive resume and is further establishing himself as the lone frontrunner for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the best goalkeeper of the regular season.

Last night, Connor Hellebuyck earned his 7th shutout of the season, as he stopped all 24 shots from the New Jersey Devils in a 4-0 win.

Seven shutouts is a franchise record for the Jets, which is another argument for Hellebuyck to win the Vezina Trophy.

4. Hat-trick for Ryan Donato

Here’s a player who was at the center of several trade rumors on the trade deadline, but ultimately stayed in Chicago.

And since the trade deadline, Ryan Donato has continued to shine and is surely making several teams regret not acquiring him.

Seriously, Kent Hughes must really regret not adding him as the second center.

Last night, Donato scored a hat-trick, as he netted all three goals for the Blackhawks in their 5-3 loss to the Golden Knights.

In short, let’s just say the Habs could have really used such a finish in their last few games, and a 28-goal scorer would have really helped the team in their playoff push.

It’s too bad, because Donato wouldn’t have cost the moon as a rental player.

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5. Sam Bennett does a lot of damage to the Utah Hockey Club

The playoff race is starting to fade away in the West, as the St. Louis Blues are pulling away, and meanwhile, the Utah Hockey Club is falling behind the pack.

With several consecutive losses, Utah is struggling, and last night, Sam Bennett pretty much nailed the coffin shut on Utah’s hopes with two goals in the Florida Panthers’ 2-1 overtime win.

Brad Marchand also earned his first point with the Panthers on the winning goal, and that was in his first game with his new team.

Here is the updated standings in the West.

(Credit: NHL.com)

Overtime

– Here are all the results from last night.

– Here are the top scorers from last night.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– On the schedule today: 11 games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)