With a record of 19-20-7, the Montreal Canadiens have gotten past the first half of the 2023-24 campaign with slightly better results than some anticipated.
And believe it or not, the Canadiens are still technically in the playoff race, sitting eight points out of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot with a game in hand.
With that said, while finding consistency has been a rough spot for the Habs, the second half of the season will prove to be even more difficult than the first.
Injuries aside, Montreal has also been dealt a tough hand on the scheduling side of things.
Calculating the strength of the teams left on the Canadiens’ calendar, analytics site Tankathon has determined that the Habs have the fourth-hardest remaining schedule in the entire NHL.
They sit behind only the likes of the Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and Vancouver Canucks on the difficulty scale.
Tankathon
Why?
Well, for starters, the Habs have to face top teams like the Bruins, Canucks, Dallas Stars, and Colorado Avalanche once more within their remaining 36 games. On top of that, they must suit up against the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers twice a piece.
That accounts for eight games in which they are strongly outmatched.
Along with facing off against powerhouses, there is also some tiresome travel ahead.
Of their 36 remaining matchups, exactly half (18) will be played on the road.
Montreal will kick off a five-game road trip from March 16 to 26. Their opponents within the 10-day journey include the Canucks, Colorado Avalanche, and Edmonton Oilers.
They also have two remaining sets of back-to-back games, both of which see them playing one of two at home.
Even their final game of the year is on the tail end of a back-to-back against the Detroit Red Wings, with the first game in Michigan and the second at the Bell Centre. At least they’ll be close to home to close things out.
All factors considered, Tankathon has given the Canadiens the seventh-best odds (6.5% chance) of winning this year’s Draft Lottery.
Meanwhile, MoneyPuck gives them just a 2.3% chance of making the playoffs.
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