Canadiens Playoffs: Updated Eastern Conference Wild Card Odds

Montreal Canadiens fans have been treated to one of the most entertaining runs to the playoffs in recent team history, but the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference is not quite decided.

At least not yet.

Things are looking quite good for the Habs, with both Lane Hutson and Nick Suzuki leading the charge toward an early admission to springtime hockey, at least relative to their long-term rebuild plans.

Eastern Conference Standings

Thanks to their wins versus the Nashville Predators and the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday and Sunday, the Habs are now six points up on the Detroit Red Wings and the New York Rangers.

Eastern Conference Wild Card Playoff Odds

The Red Wings, New York Islanders, and Columbus Blue Jackets have a game in hand over the Habs. That being said, since the remaining Wild Card hopefuls have five or six games remaining, mounting a late-season charge up the standings will be difficult.

As it stands, the Canadiens are firmly in the driver’s seat. Thanks to poor performances from the Blue Jackets and the Rangers, the teams who were nipping on Montreal’s heels just a week ago, they’re no longer considered a threat. As much as the Canadiens have pushed for this playoff spot, which certainly deserves praise, we have to acknowledge their counterparts stumbled down the final stretch of the season.

Montreal Canadiens – 87.2%

Detroit Red Wings – 5.6%

New York Islanders – 3.6%

New York Rangers – 3.3%

Columbus Blue Jackets – 0.3%

Remaining Montreal Canadiens games

Even though they have a significant advantage, there’s still a chance the Habs could be leapfrogged by the Red Wings, making Tuesday’s game a crucial match-up for both clubs.

If the Canadiens beat the Red Wings in regulation, their playoff odds will jump to 96.3%, while Detroit’s odds will fall to 0.5%.

However, if the Red Wings win in regulation, their odds rise to 12.4%, while Montreal’s odds will fall to 74.7%.

In other words, they can’t seal the deal on Tuesday, but a win from Montreal would go a long way in swinging all the momentum into their corner, while also giving them a little time to start preparing for the playoffs, which are set to start on April 19.

Beyond the Red Wings, the Canadiens will face the Ottawa Senators on Friday, and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. Both those games will be on the road. The final two games will take place at the Bell Centre: the Chicago Blackhawks on April 14, and finally, the Carolina Hurricanes on April 16.

Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks

It’s safe to say that if the Canadiens make the playoffs, the most likely outcome this season, they can take some pride in their effort down the stretch. Yes, it has involved an unreasonable number of comebacks due to their penchant for slow starts, and it has also sapped a lot of the energy that would be useful during the playoffs, but there’s no denying the Montreal Canadiens rebuild is ahead of schedule.

The Habs hired Jeff Gorton in 2021, and current general manager Kent Hughes in 2022, making this  just the third full season with both members of management at the helm.

You could also argue the chaos in the Eastern Conference is a big factor in Montreal’s potential playoff qualification, and that’s true, but chaos breeds opportunity, and the Habs seized the day.

Not only will the potential playoff games lead to crucial experience for everyone in the lineup, it will ensure the stench of losing, one of the common side effects involved in a rebuild, will not take hold of the locker room, as it has with several rebuilding clubs around the NHL.

All Montreal Canadiens playoff odds via Money Puck.