SUNRISE, FL - DECEMBER 29: Jeff Petry #26 of the Montreal Canadiens gets set to shoot the puck against Vincent Trocheck #21 of the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center on December 29, 2019 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)

Montreal Canadiens: Just How Good Do They Have To Be To Make The Playoffs? by Ken MacMillan

The Montreal Canadiens are inching towards an Atlantic Division spot, and they’ll need help from enemies, especially when it comes to the Florida Panthers.

The Atlantic Division looks slightly different than what it was a few weeks ago. The Montreal Canadiens are still on the outside looking in, but their last two wins against the Philadelphia Flyers and Vegas Golden Knights have brought them within reach. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still going to be a battle for the Habs. However, they’ve managed to give life to a conversation most of the fan and media groups felt was dead in the water.

Another alteration to the standings has come from the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs. One has continued to win while the other has continued to lose. Now it’s the Panthers in the third Atlantic Division spot while the Leafs allowed the Columbus Blue Jackets to surpass them. It’s only a formality at this point as both teams are tied at 57 points, and a Florida win against the Chicago Blackhawks can drive the nail further.

The thing is, this affects the Montreal Canadiens as well. Who knows what the future is going to hold for the Habs, but for that future to have any sense of a positive outlook, those teams ahead of them have to win. It’s the bittersweet side of the bye-week for the Habs as their competitors will have opportunities to gain points while they’re relaxing.

One other area of the standings to look at are the Wild-Card spots. It was all Metropolitan in that department, but the points have stretched out amongst the other teams such that those positions are attainable. With all due respect to them as they’ve been playing some solid hockey and getting excellent goaltending, but the Columbus Blue Jackets being in a playoff spot is proof enough that any team can get there.

The Blue Jackets hold the first wild-card with 60 points while the Carolina Hurricanes’ 59 points are good for the second spot. The point difference between the second wild-card and the third Atlantic Divison spot is equal, and the Montreal Canadiens are going to need some help to keep it that way.

Florida isn’t the only team in action as the Hurricanes and Flyers take on the Winnipeg Jets and Pittsburgh Penguins, respectively. Philadelphia may not be in a spot, but they are right up there, only a single point behind Carolina.

It’s going to be a stressful battle for the remainder of the season, and unfortunately, the Montreal Canadiens put themselves in a position where they can’t rely on their own play. They need a lot of help, and most importantly, they need a team in a playoff spot to go on a drought.

That said, the ball is in their court as far as how they play and produce.

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Winning their last two games is a positive, but it won’t be enough to undo the damage from the two eight-game losing streaks. A run of wins after the bye week will be a good way to tighten the gap and stay within the crowd. If the Habs can’t do that, then it won’t matter which enemy team is helping them out or not.