Well, that didn’t go as planned. Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong for the Canadiens last night, including a Tampa Bay loss, an Ottawa win and a Carolina loss. The Canadiens even blew a 3-goal lead against the Devils to lose their final game, so they kind of limp across the finish line. Given their record against Carolina this year — 0 wins, 4 losses — things aren’t looking great. But the playoffs are a whole different kind of animal, so we’ll see who shows up on Saturday.

Speaking of New Jersey, the Rangers must be pretty worried right about now…how would you like to face a team that’s won 11 straight heading into the playoffs? Likewise the Flyers, who have to face the Sabres, another team that’s been on a tear lately.