from Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette,

The reality is the Canadiens could win their last two games and still miss the playoffs if the Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets also win their last two games. That’s why the sportsclubstats.com website had the Canadiens’ chances of making the playoffs listed at 36.6 per cent on Wednesday, while the Hurricanes were at 88.2 per cent and the Blue Jackets at 76 per cent.

The Hurricanes (44-29-7) hold the first wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Blue Jackets (45-31-4), who hold the final wild-card spot. The Canadiens (43-29-8) have the same point total as the Blue Jackets (94), but Columbus is ahead on the first tiebreaker, which is the greater number of games won, excluding victories in the shootout. The Blue Jackets have 44 wins, excluding shootouts, while the Canadiens have 41 and the Hurricanes have 42.

The Canadiens play the Capitals Thursday in Washington before closing out the season Saturday night at the Bell Centre against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Hurricanes entertain the New Jersey Devils Thursday and finish the season Saturday night against the Flyers in Philadelphia. The Blue Jackets play their last two games on the road, visiting the New York Rangers Friday night and the Ottawa Senators Saturday night.

“I really like this,” Canadiens head coach Claude Julien said after Tuesday’s game when asked how his blood pressure was holding up. “When it comes to this time of year and the opportunity to play past this week, it’s a lot of fun. The worst scenario is we’ve got teams right now that are playing to be spoilers. We’re playing to try and get in the playoffs. This is a great time and I want the guys to enjoy the process, which I think so far they are.”

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