The Canadiens have clinched an NHL playoff spot for the second straight season.
It became official when the Red Wings lost 5-4 to the Minnesota Wild in Detroit on Sunday afternoon, more than three hours before the Canadiens were going to face the New Jersey Devils at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS). The Red Wings (40-29-8) are still alive in the playoff hunt as they look to make the post-season for the first time in 10 years, but they are 2-6-0 in their last eight games.
The Canadiens beat the Devils 4-3 in a shootout in New Jersey Saturday night to finish a five-game road trip with a perfect 5-0 record. It was the Canadiens’ eighth straight win overall and improved their record to 45-21-10 — including 23-8-8 on the road — moving them into second place in the Atlantic Division with 100 points.
The Canadiens are tied in points with the Buffalo Sabres (46-23-8), but have played one less game. Montreal is two points behind the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning (48-22-6). The Sabres and Lightning both don’t play on Sunday.
The Canadiens have reached 100 points for the first time since the 2016-17 season, when they finished first in the Atlantic Division with a 47-26-9 record for 103 points. The Canadiens lost to the New York Rangers in six games in the first round of the playoffs that year.
With a playoff spot already secured, fans at the Bell Centre Sunday night will be hoping to see Cole Caufield score his 50th goal of the season. He has 49 now, including 28 in the last 28 games. No Canadiens player has scored 50 goals since Stéphane Richer scored 51 in 1989-90. None of the current Canadiens players were even born when that happened, and head coach Martin St. Louis was 14.
Juraj Slafkovsky needs one goal to hit the 30-goal mark for the first time in his four-year NHL career after being the No. 1 overall pick at the 2022 NHL Draft.
“I’m excited to get home,” captain Nick Suzuki told reporters in New Jersey after Saturday’s win moved the Canadiens into fifth place in the overall NHL standings. “It is pretty sweet seeing all the fans (in New Jersey) in warm-ups. I’m sure tomorrow’s going to be pretty crazy for us going home.”
Jacob Fowler is expected to start in goal for the Canadiens Sunday after Jakub Dobes stopped 35 of 38 shots Saturday, improving his record to 27-8-4 with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage. Fowler has an 8-5-2 record with a 2.55 GAA and a .904 save percentage.
The Canadiens have an 18-6-3 record since hiring Marco Marciano to replace Eric Raymond as goalie coach on Jan. 28. Since then, Dobes has an 11-3-1 record with a 2.39 GAA and a .922 save percentage, while Fowler is 4-1-0 with a 2.41 GAA and a .909 save percentage.
“I feel like 100 points is good, but we try to get the first place and the best possible position for us to start (the playoffs) at home,” Dobes told reporters in New Jersey. “It’s just a number. You try to finish first. I feel like that’s the main focus right now and we have an important game tomorrow.
“Hopefully we will clinch tomorrow and separate and try to catch up to Carolina,” Dobes added.
The Hurricanes hold first place in the Eastern Conference with a 49-21-6 record for 104 points.
It’s official: The Canadiens have clinched a playoff spot for second straight season after Detroit Red Wings lost 5-4 to the Minnesota Wild this afternoon #Habs: pic.twitter.com/7PdsBL0Dee
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) April 5, 2026
Sunday’s game is the first of four straight at home for the Canadiens. The Florida Panthers will be at the Bell Centre Tuesday night, followed by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. The Canadiens will finish the regular season with two road games against the New York Islanders next Sunday and the Philadelphia Flyers next Tuesday.
Suzuki has 27-68-95 totals and needs five points over the last six games to become the first Canadiens player to hit the 100-point mark since Mats Naslund had 43-67-110 totals in 1985-86. Only four players in Canadiens history have had 100-point seasons. Guy Lafleur did it six times, Pete Mahovlich twice and Steve Shutt and Naslund once.
Suzuki ranked seventh in the NHL in scoring heading into Sunday’s games. No Canadiens player has finished a season in the top 10 in the NHL since Naslund finished eighth in 1985-86.
Lane Hutson heads into Sunday’s game with 12-62-74 totals. He needs five assists to break Larry Robinson’s team record for most assists by a defenceman in a season. Robinson had 66 assists in 1976-77 and also set a team record that season for most points by a defenceman with 85, including 19 goals.
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