The Montreal Canadiens have qualified for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. On Wednesday at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, the Canadiens defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2. With the win, the Canadiens secured the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and will next play the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs.
Montreal is one of five Canadian teams that qualified for the playoffs this season. They are joined by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Winnipeg Jets, and Edmonton Oilers. The Maple Leafs and Senators will play each other in the playoffs. This will guarantee a Canadian team playing in the second round. The Jets will play the St. Louis Blues, and the Oilers are playing the Los Angeles Kings.
The Jets actually won the Presidents’ Trophy for the most points in the National Hockey League regular season. They had 116 points, five points more than the second place Capitals.
On Wednesday in the Canadiens win, two Canadiens had a multi-point game. Defenseman Kaiden Guhle of Edmonton, Alberta scored twice, and captain Nick Suzuki of London, Ontario had one goal and one assist for two points. Meanwhile, Jake Evans of Toronto, Ontario completed the scoring with an empty netter.
It was also a historic night for Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson. When Hutson set up Guhle with the game-winning goal with one minute and 12 seconds left in the third period, he tied the NHL record for most assists by a rookie defenseman in a single season with 60. Larry Murphy of Scarborough, Ontario held the previous record while with the Los Angeles Kings in 1980-81.
