Here's how the Canadiens can clinch a playoff spot tonight — even if they're not playing

Montreal Canadiens fans are anxiously awaiting their postseason fate. With a few days remaining in the regular season calendar, it may just come down to the wire — and the Habs might not even need to lace up their skates to secure a playoff berth.

Allow us to explain.

The Canadiens currently sit fifth in the NHL's Atlantic division with a record of 39-31-11. That's good enough to hold the Eastern Conference's second wild card spot — for now.

Last night, Russian rookie sensation Ivan Demidov electrified the Bell Centre in his NHL debut, scoring a goal and adding an assist against the Chicago Blackhawks. Despite the 4-3 shootout loss, Montreal snatched a critical point, boosting their total to 89. With only one game remaining — Wednesday's tilt against the Carolina Hurricanes — the Habs can finish with a maximum of 91 points

Columbus is the only team that can spoil Montreal's run at the playoffs.NHL

But here's where it gets interesting: Montreal's fate could be sealed tonight, without them playing a single shift. The Columbus Blue Jackets, their closest pursuers, are nipping at their heels with 85 points and a record of 38-33-9. Columbus has two games left, meaning they could reach 89 points with a pair of wins.

If they do that and we don't manage to get a single point against Carolina, they'd bump us and punch the final available postseason ticket, but only if they win both games in regulation. That's because Montreal holds the edge in regulation wins (29 to Columbus' 27), the first tiebreaker if the teams end up tied at 89 points. A single point for the Canadiens, whether tonight via other results or in their finale, would slam the door shut on the Blue Jackets' hopes.

Columbus has been heating up at the worst possible time for Montreal, though, riding a four-game win streak that includes back-to-back victories over the first-place Washington Capitals. The Blue Jackets face the Philadelphia Flyers tonight — a team long out of the playoff hunt with just 76 points, but still capable of playing spoiler.

So if you're a Habs fan, you might want to throw on some orange and cheer for Philly (just for tonight). A Flyers win would take the pressure off Wednesday's finale and officially lock Montreal into the playoffs for the first time since 2021. And we all remember how that year went.