MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens are closing in on a playoff spot following a six-game winning streak.
They don’t intend to let up until the ‘X’ is firmly etched beside their name in the standings.
Sam Montembeault made 35 saves as the Canadiens beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 on Tuesday, extending their lead to eight points for the final playoff position in the Eastern Conference.
“It’s a big one in the standings, but we haven’t clinched crap yet,” defenceman Kaiden Guhle said. “Still have four games left, I don’t think anyone’s going to take their foot off the gas.
“Job’s not finished.”
Montreal (39-30-9, 87 points) built the eight-point cushion over the outside-looking-in Red Wings, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets, with one more game played.
The four trailing teams can reach a maximum of 89 points, but the Rangers have an advantage in the regulation wins tiebreaker, meaning the Canadiens need 90 to officially be out of reach. That could change by the time Montreal next takes the ice Friday in Ottawa against the Senators.
“Can’t speak too soon,” Montembeault said. “But we’ve put ourselves in a good position.”
The Canadiens haven’t reached the post-season since 2021, when games were played in mostly empty buildings during their run to the Stanley Cup final. Players are eager to know what it’s like to skate before a raucous Bell Centre come playoff time.
"It's pretty much in the back of everybody's mind,” Cole Caufield said. “But now for us, we got to get there, and we've been working for this all year, so you can't come up short now."
The Canadiens dwelled near the NHL’s basement the past three seasons, finishing 32nd, 28th and 28th in the overall standings.
The start to this season wasn’t pretty either. They held the league’s worst record on Nov. 15, and even after a remarkable holiday run saved their season, they trailed the second wild-card spot by six points before the 4 Nations Face-Off break from Feb. 12 to 20.
Since then, Montreal is 14-4-4 with the league’s third-best points percentage (.727) after rattling off its first six-game winning streak since March 2017.
Is head coach Martin St. Louis blown away by his team’s success?
“I don’t know about that word,” he said, with a cracking voice after post-game celebrations. “It’s the progression our team has had, ups and downs, but a lot of progress. Showed a lot of resilience.
“I’m blown away by our progress, but I wouldn’t say I’m blown away by our results. I’m proud of the guys.”
Tuesday’s win, however, wasn’t their best. Montreal’s habit of struggling to start games reached a new level when the Red Wings poured on 23 shots in the first period, the most the Canadiens have allowed in a period this season.
Montembeault stopped all but one.
“He bailed us out big time,” said Josh Anderson, who scored the third period winner. “He's been incredible all year for us. You need a goalie like that if you know you want to play those meaningful games in the stretch."
Montembeault reached 30 wins for the first time in his career. In his last five starts — all wins — he has a .939 save percentage and 1.60 goals-against average.
"He's been our lifeline all season, all year,” Caufield said. “We trust him back there. We counted on him in every situation. He bailed us out in the first for sure.”
HERE COMES DEMIDOV
Earlier Tuesday, the Canadiens signed top prospect Ivan Demidov — last year’s fifth-overall pick — to a three-year entry-level deal.
The move came an hour after Kontinental Hockey League club SKA Saint Petersburg made the surprising announcement that it was mutually terminating Demidov’s contract.
Excitement grew around Montreal’s locker room when players learned the news.
"Everybody's pretty fired up,” Caufield said. “Can't wait for him to get here."
It wasn’t clear when exactly Demidov would join the team, but he’s expected to feature in a game or two before the end of the regular season.
The 19-year-old Russian led SKA in scoring with 49 points (19 goals, 30 assists) in 65 games, setting a new KHL record for under-20 players despite having inconsistent ice time.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
