Cam Talbot made 32 saves and JT Compher’s goal held up as the game-winner as the Detroit Red Wings took a 2-1 win to hand the Florida Panthers their fifth straight loss.

1. The Metro mess leaves an open door 

I have been in the camp that the Washington Capitals are a good team, but not great. If you use Clear Site Analytics data going back to the 4 Nations Face-Off, they’ve been last in expected goal differential. Teams have bad stretches, but the underlying process is at least worth questioning.   

So when you zoom out, how does the Metro shake out in the playoffs? It seems ripe for a surprise run for someone. I don’t think they get upset in the first round by Montreal, the Rangers, or anyone in that spot, but I do think they could be gettable in Round 2. 

2. So could it be Carolina or New Jersey? 

We’re going to get a Hurricanes vs. Devils series in which the Canes will be favoured, but it can’t be by a ton. But in a surprising twist of fate, Carolina has been on a heater since it traded Mikko Rantanen. Logan Stankoven has six points in his 11 games as a Cane, and the team has gone 9-2 over that stretch. It just seems to fit. 

The Canes are fast and they lead the NHL in shot-attempt differential, so they’re going to carry the play against most teams. In the playoffs, you’re going to need some saves to stand up to that, and unfortunately for the Caps, Logan Thompson just suffered an upper-body injury. 

I don’t think even the Canes see themselves as a big Cup threat this year, but it’s not impossible to see a world where, thanks to a fortuitous draw, they find themselves in big games deep in the playoffs, yet again, and from there, you just never know. 

3. The Habs have a chance to put the wild-card chase on ice by Tuesday 

Is there a chance they could be caught? Sure.  

But not if they play well. 

They’ve got three non-playoff opponents coming up:

Saturday: vs. Philadelphia
Sunday: At Nashville
Tuesday: vs. Detroit

With seven games left, let’s say Montreal goes 4-3 on the way in, which at 79 points through 75 games is a reasonable guesstimate. That gets them to 89 points. Columbus would have to go 6-1-1 to pass