The Montreal Canadiens’ playoff lives are teetering on the brink right now, partially due to a massive resurgence by their closest competitors, and partially due to their own offence going the way of the dodo. A shutout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks worsened their playoff odds despite a whopping 48 shots on net, a trend that has emerged in recent weeks.
Now, it’s not over until it’s over, but if Montreal does miss out on this upcoming post-season, it’s not the end of the world by any stretch. This was a team, that, by many in media and among the fanbase itself, wasn’t expected to make much noise, and yet here they are still in the playoff hunt in the final weeks of the season.