Only one game remains on the Montreal Canadiens’ calendar, but the outcome of it can have a major impact on the upcoming NHL draft lottery.
As of now, the Canadiens, who sit in 28th place, can finish in one of the three possible spots in the NHL standings.
Currently tied with the Arizona Coyotes with 75 points on the season, the Habs, who lost to the Detroit Red Wings in overtime on Monday, are only one point behind the Ottawa Senators in 26th place.
NHL
With that said, all three teams play their final games of the season over the next two days, solidifying their respective spots in the race to the bottom.
If the Canadiens lose tonight’s home matchup against Detroit, they will stay put in 28th, regardless of other outcomes across the league. The same is true if both Arizona and Ottawa win their respective games and Montreal loses in regulation or in overtime, as they did last night.
Since the Coyotes play their final game tomorrow, a Habs regulation loss tonight is the only way Montreal can cement themselves in the lowest possible position by tonight since they have fewer regulation wins.
However, a Canadiens win could propel them up to 26th place if the other two lose.
So what does all of this mean for the lottery?
The Habs have the fifth-best odds at winning the draft lottery in May with an 8.5% chance of ending up with the first overall pick.
Barring nothing changes in the standings, they have a 44% chance of selecting sixth overall and a 42.5% chance of landing the fifth overall pick for the second season in a row.
As of now, their odds of landing a pick in the top three are 17.4%.
Tankathon
Rising up to 26th on the leaderboard will bring their odds of drafting first down to 6.5%, with a cumulative 14.4% chance of ending up with a top-three pick.
In that event, Montreal would most likely drop down a few spots on the draft board with a cumulative 86.5% chance of landing the seventh, eighth or ninth selection.
No matter how it all shakes out, though, the Canadiens will be busy on draft day with 11 picks in their possession.
- You might also like:
- Canadiens call up prospect Logan Mailloux
Follow Channels and Categories