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Top-5: it’s the Rangers’ turn to take the last playoff spot in the East
Mathis Therrien
Top-5: it’s the Rangers’ turn to take the last playoff spot in the East
Credit: It was a very important hockey day yesterday for Montreal Canadiens fans, even though the Habs were not in action. Why? Because several direct rivals of the Habs in the playoff race were in action, and therefore, we were watching their results very closely. 1. The Rangers win and push the Habs out of the […]
It was a very important hockey day yesterday for Montreal Canadiens fans, even though the Habs were not in action.

Why?

Because several direct rivals of the Habs in the playoff race were in action, and therefore, we were watching their results very closely.

1. The Rangers win and push the Habs out of the playoffs

For a few hours last night, after the regular losses of the New York Islanders and the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Montreal Canadiens had regained their playoff spot without even playing.

However, this did not last, as the New York Rangers were in action at 10:30 PM against the San Jose Sharks.

And let’s say that for once, the Rangers did not disappoint, and they won a game where they were favorites, easily beating the Sharks 6-1.

With this victory, the Rangers move up the rankings and take the 8th and final playoff spot, at least for now. However, they have played two more games than the Habs, Blue Jackets, and Islanders.

(Credit: NHL.com)

Notably, in the loss, Cam Lund, the Sharks’ 34th overall pick in 2022, scored his first NHL goal.

2. The Islanders almost make an exceptional comeback in the third period

This is another team we were keeping a close eye on yesterday, this time in the afternoon.

The Islanders were in Florida to face the Tampa Bay Lightning, and they still needed to get big points.

Fortunately for the Habs, the Lightning quickly took a good lead that stopped at 4-0, reassuring all Habs fans.

However, the stress set in in the third period when the Islanders scored three goals without response, and there were still 11 minutes left in the game.

It was a very stressful end to the third period for Habs fans, who could finally breathe a sigh of relief when the Lightning held on and scored an empty-net goal to win 5-3.

But it was stressful until the end because of a certain Nikita Kucherov, who refused to seal the deal, as shown in the following image, which shows a sequence where Kucherov didn’t shoot.

In short, the outcome was positive for the Habs, as the Islanders remain one point behind with the same number of games played.

3. The Senators do the Habs a favor and solidify their playoff spot

Another game we were keeping a close eye on, this one at a normal time, 7:00 PM, was the one between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Ottawa Senators.

The Blue Jackets were in Ottawa with the goal of keeping the 8th and final playoff spot, which they had taken over the night before.

Fortunately for the Habs, even though they had a scare at the end of the game, the Senators won 3-2 in regulation time and did the Habs a big favor.

The Senators are continuing to solidify their playoff spot, and they now have an eight-point lead over the Habs and the first team out of the playoffs.

4. The Red Wings don’t give up

Even though we were mainly focused on the three games above, we were also keeping an eye on the matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins had already pulled away from the pack, but the Red Wings are still in the playoff hunt.

So, as Habs fans, we were hoping for a Bruins win.

Unfortunately, that’s not what happened, as Detroit won 2-1 against the Bruins.

The Red Wings are now just one point behind the Habs, with one more game played, and three points behind the playoffs and the New York Rangers.

They are still in the hunt, thanks to a strong performance by Cam Talbot, who held his ground at the end of the third period.

5. Leon Draisaitl deals a blow to the Flames’ playoff hopes

We’re headed to the West now, where the playoff race is also intense, as we were keeping a close eye on the Battle of Alberta.

The Oilers are fighting for second place in the Pacific Division, while the Flames are trying to keep their heads above water and catch the St. Louis Blues, who have now won nine games in a row after beating the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 yesterday.

In short, the Calgary Flames desperately need to get as many points as possible if they want to keep believing, but unfortunately for them, Leon Draisaitl was back in the game last night for Edmonton.

And that cost the Flames a point, as Draisaitl stole the show in the Oilers’ 3-2 overtime win, scoring two goals, including the winner, and adding an assist.

Notably, his first goal of the game was his 50th of the season, making him the first player in the NHL to reach that mark this season.

This is his fourth 50-goal season in the NHL.


Overtime

– Here are all the results from the previous day.

– Here are the top scorers from the previous day.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Today’s NHL schedule features eight games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
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