Le Doux Seize: Canadiens Grab Final Playoff Spot

I love this damn league, I really do. Nothing is cut and dry in the National Hockey League. The race for that 2nd Wild Card in the East was supposed to be over on Friday, but the Columbus Blue Jackets kept on winning when they needed it. As a result, the gap between the Blue Jackets and the Montréal Canadiens shrank. Two points separated them entering the penultimate day of the regular season. Each team had one game left. The Canadiens played first. They still controlled their own destiny. This was their last chance to get in on their own, and all they needed was one point in the standings. If they didn't get that, they would have to watch the Jackets tomorrow, and hope that the New York Islanders have enough in them to at least get that game to overtime.

The Canadiens' regular season finale was against a Carolina Hurricanes team who was resting about seven players, so that would make it just a bit easier on the Habs. It was 1-1 after 20 minutes, and the tie score lasted for quite a bit, which would have been fine for the Habs--again, all they needed was one point. But Les Habitants were not fine with "fine," and they would put in two late in the second. Nick Suzuki scored, because of course he did, and later on, it was Kaiden Guhle, who added that goal to his first period tally. 3-1 after 40 minutes, and it was pretty much set. Canes made it 3-2, but still, the score was on Montréal's side. Just to be on the safe side, Jake Evans put in an empty netter, and all that was left was to countdown the final minutes until the completion of "Le Doux Seize" (The Sweet Sixteen).

It was tough for the last few days, but it's done. The Montréal Canadiens are Stanley Cup Playoff bound; snagging the 16th and last remaining spot. Nobody had this team in the playoffs at all. Entering the season, when it came to surprising teams making a run to the playoffs, many said the Senators, the Red Wings, even the Sabres. The Sens did get in, but Detroit and especially Buffalo fizzled. Nobody gave an actual thought when it came to the Canadiens, but they made it. They scratched, they clawed, they won the games they needed to win, they go the points they needed to get, and as a result, Les Habitants are part of this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Let's talk about my favorite dynamic duo that no one is talking about. Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki; the two top remnants from that wild and crazy run from 2021. That run is why I'm a huge fan of those two, because they were part of something that I still say, four years later, that we needed at that time. Caufield and Suzuki led the charge when everyone doubted them, and as a result, the Habs won 13 playoff games when no one had them winning a single game in the 2021 playoffs. They're still doing it, folks. Suzuki's goal in Game #82 was his 30th of the season, and he finished with 88 points, which leads the team. Caufield had an assist in the game, giving him a final total of 70 points. 37 of those points are goals, hence why they call him "Goal" Caufield.

Another key player has been rookie sensation Lane Hutson, with 66 points--60 of those points being helpers. Juraj Slafkovsky finished with 51 points (18 G/33 A), and now, in his third year in the league, he's playoff bound for the first time. And I have to mention Alex Newhook--2022 Cup Champion from the Avs--with 15 goals this season. This team did it with youth and grit, and it was very amazing to witness.

So all of the matchups are set, and regarding the Canadiens, they'll face off against the Washington Capitals in the Metropolitan Division Semifinals. The last time they met, the Habs upset the Presidents' Trophy winning Caps as part of their long run to the Eastern Conference Final. Surprisingly long runs have been Montréal's thing quite a bit lately. Do they have another 2021 in them? We shall see.