Canadiens clinch berth in 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Montreal Canadiens are heading back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second year in a row.

The Canadiens clinched their spot in the 16-team field by virtue of a loss by the Detroit Red Wings to the Minnesota Wild earlier Sunday afternoon. The Wild put up four straight goals in the second period to ultimately earn their 100th point in the standings this season while helping Montreal out along the way.

While the Canadiens spent much of the season locked in a tight battle for playoff positioning, an incredible run of play from the team over the past couple of months made what became official on Sunday a foregone conclusion.

The Habs, bursting at the seams with young, gamebreaking talent, have taken the leap from an upstart squad that sneaked in to the playoffs in 2025 to a legitimate Cup contender just a year later.

Heading into Sunday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils, the Canadiens are riding an eight-game winning streak that has taken them from the top of the wild card picture toward legitimate contention for the Atlantic Division title.

With a record of 45-21-10, the Habs sit even with the Buffalo Sabres, but ahead on points percentage, for second in the division, with the Tampa Bay Lightning just two points ahead.

Montreal has gotten tremendous individual contributions from their star players this season, as Cole Caufield is second in the NHL with 49 goals, while Nick Suzuki has a chance to finish with 100 points.

Ivan Demidov, Juraj Slafkovsky and Lane Hutson have excelled too, while the off-season acquisition of Noah Dobson has paid off, as the former Islander has 46 points in 76 games.

Goaltending was a huge concern for much of the season, as Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobes struggled in the early parts of the season, but the Canadiens’ strong run of late has largely been fueled by a hot streak from Dobes, who has worked his season-long save percentage up to .904. In each of his past seven starts, he’s put up a save percentage of at least .921.

Montreal’s first-round opponent remains to be seen, but if they win the division, it will be one of the two wild card teams. If not, it will be whichever of Tampa Bay and Buffalo does not take the Atlantic.