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If they were playing in the West, the Canadiens would be 10 points away from the playoffs
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
If they were playing in the West, the Canadiens would be 10 points away from the playoffs
Credit: Getty Images
In recent weeks, when I was asked if I believed in the Canadiens’ chances of making the playoffs, I always replied that it was going to be really difficult.

I’m a numbers guy and having a 20% chance of qualifying showed that it was going to be tough.

But since then, the Habs have given themselves a chance. And it’s not because they’re better than I thought: it’s because the other teams in the race are also losing very often. Too often.

(Credit: Sportsnet)
Right now, the Habs have their chances. Apart from the fact that the team has only 25 regular-season wins, the other aspects are currently in favor of the Habs. My colleague Maxime Truman talked about it this morning.

Catching up to the Senators might be too great a challenge for the Habs, who would likely face the Capitals if they qualified as the eighth team in the East. We’ll see how it goes.

But analyzing the standings, we have to say this: one chance the Habs have is that they’re not in the West.

Out there, there are really big clubs fighting. And a team with 74 points (like the Islanders) can’t exactly aspire to qualify for the spring dance.

(Credit: Sportsnet)
When we look at it, the Blues, who have 10 more points than the Habs, are in the same position as the Habs, which is the last rank giving access to the playoffs in their conference. The Habs, if they make the playoffs, would be the worst of the 16 teams. And by far.

The Canucks, Flames, and Utah HC all have more points than the Canadiens and they will all, unless there’s a huge surprise, miss the playoffs.

The Blues have 87 points (in two more games played than the Canadiens, but still) and it’s the same for the Wild, who have one game in hand over the Montreal Canadiens.

And these two teams have more points than the… Devils, who are likely to finish in the top 3 of their division.

We also notice, while talking about standings, that the West is really stronger than the East this season. It’s really merciless… and that explains why four of the five worst teams in the NHL are in the West.

The Sabres and the Kraken have the same number of points, but the Predators, Blackhawks, and Sharks are struggling.

(Credit: Sportsnet)
The advantage for the Habs? If they miss the playoffs, they will probably not be the “best” team in the draft lottery, and some Western teams will have to draft after Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton in the no man’s land.

Of course, the players don’t care about that… but we can talk about it.


Overtime

– It’s not over yet.

– Good question.

– Still.

– Contract in Hershey.

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