The Montreal Canadiens suffered another tough loss, and this latest one, a 3-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, has really tightened up the playoff race. After the games on Thursday, the Canadiens, Red Wings, and Boston Bruins are all now at 84 points and only one point ahead of the New York Islanders, who are the first team on the outside of the playoffs.
For the Canadiens, they have been in a bit of a rough patch as they have lost three of their last four, with back-to-back home losses over the weekend to the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks before the loss to the Red Wings on Thursday night. Even their win wasn't as big a help as it could be as they went to overtime against the Bruins, so Boston came away with one point.
The Bruins have been able to get themselves back in the discussion as they have gone 2-0-2 over their last four games. Their latest game on Thursday night was a 6-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets.
While all three teams currently have 84 points, the Canadiens do hold a slight advantage as they have a game in hand with 67 games played, while the Bruins and Red Wings each have played 68 games.
Big games this weekend with huge playoff implications
This weekend features two big games that have significant playoff implications, as the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings will meet on Saturday in Detroit. Meanwhile, the Canadiens are heading home to play the New York Islanders, who are only one point back of this mess.
It won't be easy for the Canadiens, and they will be looking for some revenge as the Islanders were able to steal a win in the first game back from the Olympic break. The Canadiens had a 3-2 lead late in the third before Anders Lee scored the tying goal in the final two minutes of regulation. They would secure the win and the important two points in overtime with Jean-Gabriel Pageau scoring the deciding goal.
For fans trying to decide which team to root for between the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins, the biggest thing is that the game doesn't go to overtime, so both teams don't get at least a point. After that, while plenty can change between now and then, the Red Wings are probably slightly better. One of the first tiebreakers is regulation wins, and the Canadiens currently have 25, while the Bruins have 28 and the Red Wings have 27.
However, the Canadiens have to control their own business before they can worry about the standings, and that starts with a win over the New York Islanders.