The Carolina Hurricanes clinched a playoff berth a long, long time ago at this point and while Wednesday's game might not matter much to them, there's a whole heck of a lot riding on it for two other fanbases.
What looked like an easy clinch for the Montreal Canadiens just a few days ago now looks like it could be a massive choke in the works.
After rattling off six straight wins, the Habs have now lost three straight and sit only two point ahead of the surging Columbus Blue Jackets with only a single game remaining on their schedule.
That game?
A date with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Montreal needs just a single point to clinch the East's final wild card spot, but that's a lot of pressure for a young team, harboring an entire city's hopes.
Fortunately for them though, it looks like the Canes are planning to rest a whole plethora of starters after recalling four players from the AHL and also the fact that top prospect Alexander Nikishin isn't available yet due to visa issues.
While that may make the job a bit easier, who knows. Hockey's weird like that.
If the Canadiens can't take care of business at home, then the Blue Jackets would have the chance to leapfrog them for the final spot with a game against the New York Islanders.
Only a regulation win at that point would get Columbus in, but with the way they've been playing — five straight wins with 22 goals scored and two shutouts in that span — it feels like an inevitability for them.
So it really all comes down to Carolina and if they can cause just a little bit of chaos.
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