Think back to last season. The Montreal Canadiens were in a playoff spot ahead of the big American Thanksgiving milestone but wound up missing the postseason in the final weeks of the year. As much as it came down to losses against the Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blues Jackets that did the most damage, losses to divisional rivals were even more draining.
Keep in mind the Habs had a good regular season despite missing the playoffs. Their 96 points were higher than three teams in the Western Conference who wound up making it. By the end of the year, they were four points back of the Toronto Maple Leafs for third in the Atlantic Division while the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning were far out of reach.