Canadiens' playoff destiny hinges on brutal post-Olympic schedule

The NHL's Olympic break may prove beneficial, but one could have done without it. The Montreal Canadiens are so much fun to watch that a normal continuation of play would be preferred.

There is a concern about a post-Olympic adjustment period, the time needed to regain competitive form after the Games. In principle, all teams will experience this, with the hope that the youngest team in the league does not pay a higher price due to the necessary learning curve of its development.

Upon returning from the break, the Canadiens will play 25 games, including five on the second night of back-to-back sets. Nineteen of the 25 contests will be played within the Eastern Conference, but only seven will be against direct rivals in the Atlantic Division. Based on the current standings, Montreal will face a team with the same goal of securing a playoff spot in 20 of those games.

How the Canadiens remaining schedule stacks up

This means Martin St. Louis' men will have to fight 20 battles in 25 games, while remaining alert during the other five nights. All of this will occur within 48 days, requiring fresh legs, a sharp team and, above all, good health to survive this constant adversity.

To date, the Canadiens are plus-15 in the standings compared to last season after 57 games, a significant statistic in light of what awaits the team upon returning from Milan. 

This is a staggering improvement considering the limited support the team has received from its goaltenders. In this sense, the arrival of Marco Marciano to replace Eric Raymond may be considered one of the best transactions by Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes for the 2025-26 season.

Since this change, the Canadiens have lost only once, and even then, they earned a standings point. In each game, the goaltender has performed flawlessly. With the offensive numbers the team's stars are posting, if the goaltenders can combine consistency and excellence, it could lead to a notable spring.

Nick Suzuki has 65 points. His average of 1.14 points per game is insufficient for him to become the first Canadien since Mats Naslund to reach 100 points, but it is not impossible if he slightly increases his pace. 

The same goes for Cole Caufield. He is on pace for 40 goals, but to join the select club of Stephane Richer, Guy Lafleur and a few others, he will need to do slightly better than his current 0.56-goals-per-game average.

Juraj Slafkovsky can reach 70 points. Rookie Ivan Demidov is also on pace for 66 points and can aim for the 70-point plateau. Lane Hutson only needs to maintain his pace to finish with 82 points in as many games, a standard not reached by Cale Makar or Quinn Hughes in their second seasons.

With such statistics, if the goaltenders simply keep the team in games, even with a challenging schedule, winning the Atlantic Division becomes a possibility.