Hockey

Series : The Habs have a 55% chance of making it according to a model from The Athletic
Marc-Olivier Cook
Series : The Habs have a 55% chance of making it according to a model from The Athletic
Credit: Getty Images

At the time of writing, the Canadiens are sitting in 2nd place overall in the NHL standings.

No, this is no joke. The club is off to a truly extraordinary start to the season, and it's a bit of a surprise too. If the playoffs were to start tonight, the club would easily get its ticket… but that doesn't necessarily mean it will still be the case at the end of the regular schedule.

In a recent piece for The Athletic, Dom Luszczyszyn – taking into account the strength of each club's schedule – puts the chances of the Habs making the playoffs at… 55%.

The important thing to remember is that the Canadiens have a complicated schedule between now and the end of the season.

In particular, it will face…

  • The Avalanche twice
  • Golden Knights twice
  • Devils three times
  • The Jets twice
  • The Mammoth twice

These clubs have talent and are currently among the National League's elite. It won't be easy, to put it another way.

But if the Canadiens keep playing the way they're playing now…

(Credit: Screenshot / Tankathon )

The powerplay will have to continue to be really good, everyone will have to do their job… and Samuel Montembeault will also have to settle back in if the Habs are to be in a position to make the playoffs.

It won't happen with a snap of the fingers, we agree. But if Suzuki and Caufield continue to dominate, Demidov continues to improve, Matheson and Dobson continue to be excellent, Hutson continues to be one of the NHL's best offensive defensemen and Monty regains his confidence… the Canadiens are going to be a dangerous club. Very dangerous.

And the club's progress will be interesting to watch over the coming weeks and months.


Overtime

– Oh.

– He's on fire.

– We want to hear from you.

facebook icon Share twitter icon Tweet linkedin icon Share
Copied!