Canadiens sit in a playoff spot, are they also primed to hold it?
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With their win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, the Montreal Canadiens jumped the New York Rangers to occupy the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Canadiens rallied from down 2-1 after two periods with five third-period goals to defeat the Senators to re-enter the playoff picture for the first time since Jan. 21.
Montreal's positioning remains precarious, but it would appear the team is in a prime position to hold their playoff spot over the final 15 games. The Canadiens have just a one-point advantage on the Rangers, but have two games in hand. The New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets are both three points back and equal with the Habs in games played. The Detroit Red Wings, who also have 70 points, have played one more game than Montreal.
The Canadiens could provide themselves with further breathing room with a win over the Islanders in a key game on the road Thursday night.
“We came in after the second period and tried to settle down,” Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki said after Tuesday's win. “This was our biggest win of the season for sure. And the next one’s going to be the biggest one.
"We’re in playoff mode right now. We can’t afford losses and giving up points.”
The Rangers missed out on crucial points Tuesday in a "concerning" 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames in which the team managed just 13 shots. New York will visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday in Game No. 70 of their season.
“[The compete] was not there -- there was nothing there,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said of his team's loss Tuesday. “They were faster than us, they were more ready. That’s the way they game played out.
“It’s concerning for any time of year when you don’t play a game that you’re proud of, so it was not a good showing.”
The Canadiens missed the playoffs in each of the past three seasons after reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2021, when they played with no or limited fans at home games amid COVID-19 restrictions.
“Seeing the support of the crowd, it gives you goosebumps,” winger Josh Anderson added Tuesday. “It makes you want to play in the playoffs so bad. It’s been a tough three years they’ve patiently waited.
"We’re going to do everything we can as a team to make a push. I really love the compete level in this group.”
Montreal snapped Ottawa's six-game winning streak on Tuesday on now sit four points back of the Senators for the top wild-card spot in the East.
Following Thursday's game against the Islanders, the Canadiens will host the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday and then set out on a four-game road trip with stops in St. Louis, Philadelphia, Carolina and Florida.