Blue Jackets, Canadiens, Rangers All Fighting for Playoffs

The Columbus Blue Jackets, Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers are all locked in a tight race for Eastern Conference wild card positioning.

Jan 19, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki (14) defends the puck against New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafreniere (13) during the third period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / David Kirouac-Imagn Images

The NHL’s Eastern Conference wild card race has been tight all season, but with the Stanley Cup Playoffs right around the corner, things couldn’t get much closer. With only a couple of weeks until the start of the playoffs, three teams are tied for the second wild card position.

The Columbus Blue Jackets, Montreal Canadiens, and New York Rangers each have 75 points with a couple of teams within striking distance.

Now riding a two-game win streak, the Blue Jackets were stumbling quite a bit in recent weeks. Before winning back-to-back games in a shootout and reclaiming the second wild card position, the Blue Jackets had lost eight of their previous nine games.

Sean Monahan and Erik Gudbranson recently returned to the lineup and should provide a huge boost down the final stretch. The Blue Jackets have been surprising the NHL all season long and have a chance to do something special this season.

The Blue Jackets aren’t alone in recent struggles though, as the Canadiens are also riding a brutal losing skid. Before losing three straight and dropping out of wild card positioning, the Canadiens put up points in 12 of their last 13.

Coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break, the Canadiens looked to have turned a corner and were hurdling towards a surprise playoff appearance. Now, with three straight losses, the Canadiens have to get their groove back if they want to seal their spot in the playoffs.

The Rangers suffered a defeat of their own in overtime to the Anaheim Ducks, robbing themselves of the extra point needed to leapfrog back into a wild card spot. Ahead 3-1 after two periods against the Ducks wasn’t enough eventually losing 5-4 in overtime.

The 2024-25 season has been a sharp decline for the Rangers, especially compared to their President’s Trophy-winning campaign last year.

All three of the Blue Jackets, Canadiens, and Rangers have a chance at securing the East’s second wild card spot, but the New York Islanders are just one point back with games in hand.

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