The 2024-25 NHL regular season officially reaches its end on Thursday, Apr. 17. From there, it's the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, one of the most grueling tournaments in all of professional sports.
The Eastern Conference field is basically all locked in, with the exception of the final Wild Card spot. On Monday, Apr. 14, the Montreal Canadiens needed just two points to clinch the spot, and all they had to do was beat the lowly Chicago Blackhawks. But a 2-0 lead turned into a 3-2 deficit. Even though Montreal tied things up late in the third period, Montreal lost 4-3 to Chicago in a shootout.
With this loss, the Canadiens kept the Columbus Blue Jackets' playoff hopes alive. The Blue Jackets have been on a role as of late, winning four straight games, including back-to-back victories over the Washington Capitals. But at this point, the Blue Jackets have no room for error.
The Blue Jackets have just one path to clinch a playoff spot.
Blue Jackets' only path to clinching a playoff berth
The first step for the Blue Jackets is they have to win their final two games. That begins on Tuesday, Apr. 15, when they are on the road to take on the Philadelphia Flyers. If the Blue Jackets win, they will then need to pick up a win at home on Thursday, Apr. 17, against the New York Islanders.
That's the first, pivotal step. From there, the Blue Jackets will then need help. On Wednesday, the Canadiens take on the Carolina Hurricanes, who have already clinched a playoff berth and are locked into a first-round series against the New Jersey Devils. For the Blue Jackets to have any chance to clinch a playoff spot, they would need the Hurricanes to defeat the Canadiens in regulation. Remember, Montreal needs one point to clinch, so if the game goes to overtime, the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference is theirs.
Even thought the Blue Jackets and Canadiens would both have the same amount of points with 89, Columbus would earn the spot due to the regulation wins tiebreaker. The Blue Jackets' would have 30 regulations wins, as opposed to the Canadiens' 29 wins.
Columbus hasn't been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2020, where most of the league was in the bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Blue Jackets defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the qualifying round to advance to the first round of the playoffs. However, the Blue Jackets lost in five games to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Blue Jackets need to win out and the Canadiens to lose in regulation on Wednesday to earn a spot in the playoffs. If they do accomplish this goal, they will then meet the Washington Capitals in the first round.