Canadiens Have Another Chance to Keep Surprising

The Montreal Canadiens entered their meeting with the Philadelphia Flyers with a chance at redemption. The Canadiens lost to the red-hot St. Louis Blues in a vital game for playoff positioning but were gifted key losses from other teams.

With another chance to extend their lead as the Eastern Conference’s second wild card team, the Canadiens folded against the Flyers. They showed fight in a three-goal third period, but it was too little too late for Montreal.

Luckily, their loss in Philadelphia was on the first half of a back-to-back and the Canadiens have another opportunity to make some noise.

In the second half of their back-to-back, the Canadiens will take on the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canadiens are only being given a 29% chance to win, but it could be the difference between playoffs or an early offseason in Montreal.

Moneypuck.com notes that the Canadiens will see a 13.3% jump in playoff odds if they can waltz into Carolina and defeat the Hurricanes. Not only would they extend their lead in the East’s second wild card position, but they would see their odds of making the playoffs reach 47.3%.

A loss would only be a 7.4% dip to 26.6, but there are other games around the NHL that could be detrimental to the Canadiens.

The New York Rangers are just one point behind the Canadiens and are out west taking on the lowly Anaheim Ducks. It’s a late start for the Rangers, but if the cards fall their way, they could be back in a playoff spot by the weekend.

The Columbus Blue Jackets also have a crucial game coming up against the Vancouver Canucks. Both the Blue Jackets and Canucks are fighting for their playoff lives and a Columbus win could put them back in the driver’s seat of their playoff destiny.

The Canadiens have been one of the most surprising teams of the 2024-25 NHL season. As the regular season winds down and the playoff race heats up, they’re still alive and looking to prove they will be a tough team to compete with for a long time.