Here's what the Montreal Canadiens need to do to make the playoffs

Faced with an impossible challenge to keep their season alive, the Montreal Canadiens are defying the odds.

A pair of big wins, on the road in Winnipeg and at home against the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning have the Habs still in the closest playoff race in the NHL this season.

The Canadiens are tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and trail the Carolina Hurricanes by just one point. Montreal doesn’t hold the tiebreaker with either team, holding fewer regulation and overtime wins (ROW) than both Carolina and Columbus, so they need help.

See also

• The Bell Centre was electric during the Habs' big win last night (VIDEOS)
• Montreal Canadiens sign Ryan Poehling and Cayden Primeau to entry-level contracts
• Canadian Women's Hockey League announces it will discontinue operations

All three teams have two games left, but the Canadiens have by far the most difficult games remaining. Montreal has to play a pair of powerhouse teams, while the Blue Jackets and Hurricanes each have two games remaining against non-playoff teams.

Here’s how each team’s remaining schedules shake down:

Montreal Canadiens

Thu, Apr 4: @ Washington Capitals

Sat, Apr 6: vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Columbus Blue Jackets

Fri, Apr 5: @ New York Rangers

Sat, Apr 6: @ Ottawa Senators

Carolina Hurricanes

Thu, Apr 4: vs New Jersey Devils

Sat, Apr 6: @ Philadelphia Flyers

Analytics website Sports Club Stats currently lists Montreal as having just a 36.6% chance to make the playoffs, but the team still has confidence they can get it done.

“We still believe that we can make the playoffs,” Habs forward Artturi Lehkonen said after Tuesday’s big win. “We got two games to go, we’re going to win both of them and we’re going to make the playoffs.”

Montreal likely needs to win both of their remaining games to give themselves a chance, though they’ll still need a loss by either Carolina or Columbus to make their dream a reality.

The pressure’s on.