The Montreal Canadiens can't afford to have many pathetic performances between now and the end of the season. The quest didn't start well as they put up one of their worst efforts of the season on Tuesday night against the St. Louis Blues. The Canadiens were in danger of their playoff chances dropping to 35% with a regulation loss on Tuesday, but the failures of the rest of the contending teams helped the Canadiens dodge that bullet. The Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers, and Detroit Red Wings all lost in regulation.
They may have dodged a bullet on Tuesday, but that doesn't mean the loss won't cause some problems going forward. The New York Islanders are now a point behind the Canadiens with the same number of games played, and the Columbus Blue Jackets are also just two points back. The Blue Jackets were struggling, but they looked like a different team on Monday with Sean Monahan and Erik Gudbranson returning from injury.
The Canadiens could drop out of a playoff spot if the Islanders win on Wednesday night against the Vancouver Canucks. The Canadiens will be the Canucks' biggest fans this week, as the Blue Jackets' next game is also against Vancouver. Montreal's Thursday night game against the Philadelphia Flyers becomes a must-win, as their schedule features the Carolina Hurricanes and two games against the Florida Panthers. If Montreal fails to beat Philadelphia, the playoffs could vanish quickly.
Moneypuck.com has the Canadiens' playoff chances at 43.6%. The good news is that the Islanders are the next highest at 28.7%. As we sit here on Wednesday, the Canadiens are still in the driver's seat, but cannot have another performance like Tuesday night. The player under the most pressure on Thursday night will likely be Sam Montembeault, and it'll be interesting to see if he can bounce back. It could be an outing that tells us plenty about Montembeault's future as a No. 1 goaltender.
It isn't time to panic yet. The rest of the league did the Canadiens a massive favor on Tuesday night. The Blue Jackets and Islanders having a three-point game on Monday didn't help, but fans should still be confident. The only worry now has to be falling slightly out of a playoff spot and ending up with the 15th or 16th pick in this year's draft. As the days pass by and the Canadiens stay in that second wild card, getting some playoff experience instead of 17th-place in the league is becoming paramount.