The Montreal Canadiens are playoff-bound again.
Montreal clinched its spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs Sunday afternoon after the Detroit Red Wings fell 5-4 to the Minnesota Wild, making the Canadiens the first Canadian NHL team to secure a post-season berth.
It marks a second straight appearance after the Canadiens snapped a three-year drought last spring, following a full-scale rebuild. They claimed the final spot in the Eastern Conference before falling to the Washington Capitals in five games in the first round.
This time, they’re not just squeaking in.
Montreal (45-21-10) has punched its ticket with six games to spare in the regular season and sits second in the Atlantic Division with 100 points, firmly in the mix for home-ice advantage heading into Sunday night’s matchup with the New Jersey Devils at the Bell Centre.
The Canadiens — with Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson leading a young, talented core — are also riding an eight-game winning streak after a perfect 5-0-0 road trip, vaulting within two points of the division lead.
Several players have stepped up with stellar seasons for Montreal.
Caufield is one goal shy of becoming the first Canadien since Stéphane Richer in 1989-90 to score 50 times in a season, Suzuki has 95 points and could become the fifth player to reach the century mark in franchise history. Hutson, meanwhile, is six points from joining Larry Robinson as the only Canadiens defencemen with 80 points in a season — in his sophomore campaign.
Juraj Slafkovsky, the first overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft, has broken out with 29 goals and 67 points in 76 games, while 20-year-old Ivan Demidov leads all rookies in scoring with 60 points.
Rookie goalie Jakub Dobes has also come on of late, posting a 9-3-0 record with a .927 save percentage and 2.24 goals-against average since February’s Olympic break, quieting the concerns about goaltending that dominated headlines earlier this season.
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