The competition for playoff spots in the Eastern Conference is incredibly intense, with just four points distinguishing teams from 8th to 13th place in the rankings.
The Columbus Blue Jackets currently hold the 8th and final playoff spot, but their position is precarious as five teams are closely trailing them.
Clearly, the Montreal Canadiens are among these teams since the CH is just a single point behind the Blue Jackets.
A single-point gap can shift overnight, which is fortunate as both squads will be competing tonight.
Nevertheless, there is an issue with everything mentioned here.
The issue at hand is the Blue Jackets' adversary for tonight, the New York Rangers, who also lead the CH by a single point.
Since these two teams are competing against each other tonight, one of them is assured of earning two points from this match.
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 most favorable outcome, the CH will remain one point trailing behind either the Blue Jackets or the Rangers.
The CH must also pray that the match between Columbus and New York does not go into overtime, as having both squads secure points would be very undesirable.
This serves as yet another indication that the Tricolor mustn't allow vital points to escape them, considering how every point holds significant weight during these playoffs.
The loss in Seattle stings even more intensely as we examine the current rankings.
Should the Tricolor, leading 4-2 with under 10 minutes remaining, secure victory within regular playtime, they would move ahead of both the Blue Jackets and the Rangers. Consequently, their fate would rest solely in their own control.
The CH would have matched the Blue Jackets' total of regular-season wins, leading to the subsequent tiebreaker, specifically regular-season and overtime victories (reflected in the ROW section of the standings).
There, the Tricolore would have reached a total of 30, enabling it to exceed Columbus' count of 27.
To put it briefly, the defeat in Seattle is extremely painful at the moment and compels the CH to continue relying on other teams, even though they could have controlled their own fate.
In Rapid Fire
— Truly a commendable accomplishment.
— To follow.
— Happy birthday!
