The Montreal Canadiens officially secured their spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sunday.
The Canadiens punched their ticket following a 5–4 loss by the Detroit Red Wings to the Minnesota Wild earlier that afternoon. The clinch marks Montreal's second consecutive playoff appearance and establishes them as the first Canadian team to officially secure a berth this spring.
On accède à nouveau aux séries de la coupe Stanley!
— x - Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 5, 2026
We are headed back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/YLoICbMREM
Before a 3–0 loss to New Jersey late Sunday, the Habs were riding an eight-game winning streak that included a perfect 5–0–0 road trip. Montreal currently sits in a tie with the Buffalo Sabres (100 pts) for second place in the Atlantic Division, trailing the Tampa Bay Lightning by just two points for the top seed.
The Canadiens' success has been fuelled by on-ice play from young stars, including Cole Caufield who sits at 49 goals, one shy of becoming the first Canadiens' player to reach the 50-goal milestone since 1990. Captain Nick Suzuki has tallied 95 points and is on pace to become the first Montreal player to reach 100 points in a season since Mats Näslund in 1986. Lane Hutson is within six points of Larry Robinson's franchise record for points by a blueliner (82). Ivan Demidov currently leads all NHL rookies in scoring with 60 points.
While goaltending was a major concern early in the season, rookie Jakub Dobeš has effectively taken the reins since the February Olympic break. Dobeš has posted a 9-3-0 record with a .927 save percentage since returning from the Olympics.