Mr Viral
The race for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference is completely crazy, with only four points separating 8th and 13th place in the standings.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are the ones still holding onto that 8th and final playoff spot, but this position is hanging by a thread since five teams are very close behind.
Obviously, the Montreal Canadiens are one of those teams, as the CH is only one point behind the Blue Jackets.
A one-point difference can change in one evening, and it’s a good thing that both teams are in action tonight.
(Credit: NHl.com)
However, there is a problem with all of this.
And that problem is the Blue Jackets’ opponent tonight, the New York Rangers, who are just ahead of the CH by one point as well.
Given that the two teams are facing each other tonight, it is guaranteed that one of them will come out of this game with two points.
BIG NIGHT TO BATTLE BACK
@FanDuelSN_CBUS https://t.co/811iB9BieI
Listen live: @971thefan, and on the #CBJ app https://t.co/3RUjMKk9Wq
PREVIEW: Blue Jackets host Rangers in critical showdown | Columbus Blue Jackets
Six days after a CBJ win in Madison Square Garden, Columbus welcomes New York for a return trip with playoff positioning on the line
# 7:00 PM@ticketmaster | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/OFlhpl1Oie
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 15, 2025
So, even if the Tricolore manages to win against the Panthers, it won’t be able to wake up in a playoff spot tomorrow morning.
In the best-case scenario, the CH will still be one point behind either the Blue Jackets or the Rangers.
The CH also has to hope that the game between Columbus and New York doesn’t require overtime, because seeing both teams pick up points would be really bad news.
This is another reminder that the Tricolore really can’t afford to let points slip away, as they are all of crucial importance in this playoff race.
The point lost in Seattle hurts even more right now when looking at the standings.
If the Tricolore, who led 4-2 with less than 10 minutes to go in the game, had won in regulation time, it would currently be ahead of the Blue Jackets and the Rangers, and would therefore have its destiny in its own hands.
The CH would have had the same number of regular-time wins as the Blue Jackets, which would have led to the next tiebreaker, namely regular-time and overtime wins (the ROW column in the standings).
And there, the Tricolore would have had 30, which would have allowed it to surpass Columbus, which has 27.
In short, the loss in Seattle is one that hurts a lot right now, and forces the CH to still depend on other teams, when it could have had its destiny in its own hands.
In Rapid Fire
— Really a nice achievement.
Florian Xhekaj has entered a select club for the number of goals scored by a rookie in the Canadiens’ minor league affiliate. He is the 4th to reach 17 goals in the past 10 years in the affiliate:
Daniel Carr (24) 14-15 in Hamilton
Charles Hudon (19) 14-15 in Hamilton…
— Anthony Marcotte (@anthonymarcotte) March 15, 2025
— To follow.
He hasn’t played an NHL game since June 26, 2022. https://t.co/tV8ajst0YC
— La Poche Bleue (@lapochebleue) March 15, 2025
— Happy birthday!
Happy birthday Séba
Happy birthday Sébastian Breza #CFMTL pic.twitter.com/QJTnZ1Rams
— CF Montréal (@cfmontreal) March 15, 2025
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