If Detroit had pulled off the win over the Canadiens, it would have trimmed Montreal’s lead in the Eastern Conference wild-card race to just four points, with the Red Wings having an extra game remaining (five). That’s still a long shot, to be sure, but it was enough to give them a fighting chance.

The Canadiens hold the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. The Red Wings are six points behind with a game in hand. So are the New York Rangers, who play the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden on Monday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNSUN, MSG, TVAS).

With the win, Montreal pretty much sewed up the second and final Eastern Conference wild-card spot. The Canadiens moved to an eight-point lead over the Wings, New York Rangers and Columbus (87-79). Montreal has four games left, while the trailing three teams have five games left.