The Montreal Canadiens are certainly in the mix. But being in the mix doesn't guarantee a playoff spot. As of writing this, the Habs are two points out of the last playoff spot, with a game in hand over the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, the Ottawa Senators are in the middle, having played the same amount of games as the Canadiens, but having one more point.
And the problem is that those teams keep winning. The Senators beat the Maple Leafs and the Blue Jackets beat the Kings. So even if the Canadiens keep on winning, they need some teams, like the Senators, Blue Jackets, Lightning and Rangers, to lose.
And the pity points kill in a playoff chase. Even in a loss, many loses still gaining the team a point. So with just over 30 games left in the season, a lot still has to go right for the Canadiens to make the playoffs.
And can we just stop for a minute and take in how absurd that sentence would have been at the start of the year, heck, even two months ago? The Canadiens were not supposed to be this good this year. Sure, in a couple years, when Demidov comes in, Hutson and Slafkovsky hit their primes, and get a few more complimentary acquisitions they are looking to be Cup contenders. But this year?
There were more people talking about possible draft targets than what was going on this year, and it was more likely people were talking about luck in the draft lottery, than luck in getting into a playoff position.
It all started a month ago, and it has been absolutely fantastic. It has been a long time since this team has felt this competitive, this fun. Especially outside of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final run, which the playoff run erases a lot of what was just an okay season, being just barely over .500 and just barely making the playoffs.
Maybe it was 2018-19, the year of Max Domi, where excitement had even come close to this, and that team just narrowly missed the playoffs, being just two points back of the deadline loaded Columbus Blue Jackets who went on to sweep the Tampa Bay Lightning.
So, with great winning comes great expectations. Now, as people can see that the playoffs are in reach, there will be many fans that will undoubtedly disappointed if the Habs do not actually make the playoffs. Which, if someone said they would be disappointed if the Canadiens didn't make the playoffs in 2025 at the start of the year, they would have been laughed at.
In my opinion the Canadiens are playing with house money now. Any more success that they have this season is just extra. They are 12 points up on the Buffalo Sabres, the worst team in the East, and almost 20 points up on Chicago and San Jose. I don't think many would think that Montreal could quite compete in badness with the Blackhawks and the Sharks, but they were supposed to be closer to them than a wild card spot.
So will I be disappointed if the Montreal Canadiens don't make the playoffs this year? Not really. Sure, more hockey is always better, and there's always the age old adage of "Make the Playoffs and Anything Can Happen", and of course I will be over the moon if they do make it, but I do warn fans to temper their expectations.
Its like playing the lottery. Would I be overjoyed if I did win? Naturally. Am I downtrodden and angry if I don't? Not at all. Just remember: the Montreal Canadiens were not supposed to be this good. Just enjoy this ride. No matter how it ends at this point, it will have been better than any of us could have imagined.