Nothing Is Guaranteed: A Disastrous Weekend Sets Up the Biggest Week of the Montreal Canadiens Season Thus Far

Entering this past week the Montreal Canadiens, according to multiple hockey stats websites, had anywhere from about a 92-94% chance to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season. Now, after back to back losses at home against two California teams they had just lost to the week prior in the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, their playoff odds are still currently strong at about 80%, but they have set themselves up for a huge upcoming week with multiple Eastern Conference battles against teams also fighting them for a playoff spot.

While I do not want to overreact to what I just saw this weekend, I do have to start questioning if this team will qualify for the playoffs this season.

Offensively there has not been much to complain about this year. Nick Suzuki is on pace for 95 points, Cole Caufield sits a goal away from reaching 40 for the first time in his career. Lane Hutson is more than a point per game in just his second year in the league as a defensemen. Juraj Slafkovsky is taking a huge step forward with a career high in both goals and points.

It is the defensive side of their team that has just been brutal.

They just give up way too many high-quality chances to be successful against good teams. Every time you watch them play you see one of them on the ground, whether it be Kaiden Guhle, who has not been the same since returning from injury, or Alexandre Carrier, who in my opinion has been absolutely abysmal for most of the season. Then there is Jayden Struble or Arber Xhekaj, whoever happens to be in the lineup that night, who simply cannot be trusted to play in their own end.

The Canadiens need to find a way to become a better defensive team and much harder to play against. Even if they do make the playoffs, the way this team defends in its own end will do them no favours come playoff time if they are lucky enough to get there.

It cannot always be blamed on the goaltending either. When you are giving up point blank opportunities like they have been all year long, the goalies are going to let in goals. If you are that easy to play against, that is what will happen.

So what do they have coming up this week.

Tomorrow night they have a battle against the Boston Bruins where the winner will sit in third place in the Atlantic. Then they match up on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings, followed by a game on Saturday against the New York Islanders. These are all teams they are fighting with for a playoff spot.

On top of that, next week they will face the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Tampa Bay Lightning before the end of the month. Those are teams they could either be battling for playoff positioning or straight up playoff spots with until the end of the regular season.

In a way I am somewhat happy that we are seeing something like this because this is where we truly find out what they are made of. Are they a team that is going to fold under the pressure this time of year or will they rise to the occasion. I guess we will find out.

But let us talk about the scenario where they do miss the playoffs.

While it would be gut wrenching considering how this season has gone and the step forward it represents in their rebuild, I did say before the season there could be a scenario where they are a better team and just miss the playoffs. That could very well be the scenario here.

Would it be a huge disappointment considering they have been one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference for most of the season. Absolutely.

Would I be worried about the long term future of the team. Not really.

Missing the playoffs this year would in a way ramp up the urgency within the organization to get help, especially on the defensive side of the puck. At the trade deadline we heard that general manager Kent Hughes was close to potentially pulling off a blockbuster deal to help the team.

We heard names like Matthew Knies from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Nazem Kadri mentioned. I have even theorized that it could be Adam Fox given the relationship Jeff Gorton, who previously worked with the New York Rangers, could have with Fox and the organization. That is just a theory on my end.

However I just do not see a scenario where the defensive play improves much the rest of this season because there has been very little to show that it will. What they have been able to do all season long is outscore teams and that is what they will have to do for the rest of the year if they want to get into the dance.

So while this weekend was in a way disastrous, it also presents an opportunity. It is a chance for players to show the management and the fan base that they are big time players. Will they rise to the occasion or will they fold when the pressure gets high.

I am putting my faith in them.

All season long they have been one of the better teams in the NHL after a loss. They lead the league in comeback wins and they have shown that they have the horses to compete with anyone. While they could lose to anyone on any given night, I believe enough in this group that they can beat anyone on any given night as well.

Would it be a disaster if they miss the playoffs. Absolutely.

Am I worried about the long term future if they miss the playoffs. No.

That said, I think they will get into the playoffs and it starts tomorrow night against the Boston Bruins in one of the biggest games of their season.