It has been a rough week for the Montreal Canadiens. They entered the week in the driver's seat for the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, and they could've taken a stranglehold on it with a couple of points on the road trip. However, here they sit, with the New York Rangers passing them on Saturday night and three other teams within a point.
The probability of the Canadiens making the playoffs has been dropping as the days go by, but that doesn't mean the fans should start panicking. The Rangers are two points up but the Canadiens have two games in hand, while the other teams all are equal with Montreal in games. Simply put, the Canadiens have to be better than all the other teams and they'll make it to the postseason.
You might be thinking that doesn't sound simple at all. The Canadiens have shown no reason to believe they can be better than four other teams, but in a quest to find some optimism, Tankathon.com was the light we needed. The website tracks the strength of schedule for all the teams in the NHL, and the Canadiens have an easier schedule than all the teams competing for that spot.
The site says that the Canadiens have the eighth-easiest schedule remaining. The site believes they have five easy games and five hard games remaining, with two of those being in the next three days with the home-and-home against the Florida Panthers. Games against the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, Boston Bruins, and Philadelphia Flyers are ones the Habs must win.
The Detroit Red Wings are the fifth team listed as an easy opponent for the Canadiens. It's hard to go as far as saying that, as Detroit could pass Montreal with another win and a Habs loss. However, Tankathon believes the Red Wings have the toughest remaining schedule in the entire league. Seven of their last nine games are against Stanley Cup contending teams, with the Canadiens and New Jersey Devils being the other two.
The New York Islanders have the sixth-hardest strength of schedule. It's a bit more balanced, but matchups against the Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets could have massive implications in the race. It's ideal for the Canadiens, as one team won't get two points in those games. However, they just have to hope the matchups don't go to overtime for the extra point. The Blue Jackets are also right behind the Islanders with the seventh-hardest schedule.
The Canadiens already had no one to blame but themselves if they don't make the playoffs after the dreadful road trip. Tankathon's strength of schedule rankings just gives another reason why Montreal have to be the favorites to be the ones to emerge from the abysmal group.