With the NHL’s trade deadline come and gone, the stretch drive towards the postseason is underway. In the Eastern Conference, the Montreal Canadiens are the only Canadian team in a playoff spot.

The Canadiens occupy the first wild-card spot in the East with 78 spots, two points ahead of the Boston Bruins, who hold the second wild-card position and are five points up on the Columbus Blue Jackets, who sit just outside with 73 points.

Since returning from the Olympic break, the Canadiens are 2-1-2 but struggled on their recent California road trip. They dropped a pair of high-scoring games to the San Jose Sharks (7-5) and Anaheim Ducks (6-5 in a shootout) before rallying for a 4-3 win on Saturday over the Los Angeles Kings, led by a 36-save performance from goaltender Jakub Dobes.

The team’s goaltending woes have been well documented this season as both Dobes and Samuel Montembeault have had their struggles.

While Dobes’ numbers (.891 save percentage and 3.03 goals-against average) don’t sparkle, he has 20 wins in 30 games this season. He’s had two months this season where he didn’t lose a single game (October and January), making six starts in both.

Last year it was Montembeault who was a critical factor in the Canadiens making the playoffs in their last regular-season game, but his struggles this season (.872 save percentage and 3.43 GAA) dropped him out of consideration for a spot on Team Canada for the Olympics. He’s also had an AHL stint with Laval and taken a backseat to Dobes in net.

While the Canadiens have had their defensive issues, they have been able to ride their offence, as they are second in the NHL in goals for per game at 3.55, trailing only league leader Colorado (3.79). Their 220 total goals scored is fourth in the NHL, with their power play seventh at 25.1 per cent.

Cole Caufield is second in the Maurice “Rocket” Richard trophy race with 37 goals, six back of Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon for the lead. Nick Suzuki also enters Monday’s action 10th in the NHL in points with 74.

Lane Hutson, the NHL’s reigning Calder Trophy winner, is fourth among defencemen in scoring this season with 64 points, while rookie forward Ivan Demidov is second in the rookie points race with 48, three behind leader Beckett Sennecke of Anaheim (51) with fellow Canadien Oliver Kapanen tied for fourth with 32.

Juraj Slafkovsky, who was named to the Olympic All-Star team after leading Slovakia to a fourth-place finish, has seven points in five games since returning, including a three-point effort against the Kings.

Montreal opted to stand pat and did not make any moves at the trade deadline. Their only move this season was acquiring centre Phillip Danault from the Kings on Dec. 19 for a second-round pick.

The Canadiens have 20 games left in their regular season with 17 of those games against Eastern Conference opponents, including seven against Atlantic Division rivals. Nine of those contests will be against a team currently in a playoff spot.

For the other two Canadian clubs in the East, the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, making the playoffs will be a tall order.

The Senators remain firmly in the hunt with 71 points, five back of Boston for the final wild-card spot.

Ottawa’s biggest move at the deadline was acquiring depth forward Warren Foegele from the Kings.

Foegele, 29, had seven goals and nine points in 48 games with Los Angeles this season, a far cry from his career year in Edmonton the year prior, when he scored 24 goals with 46 points in 82 games.

However, Foegele scored in his Senators debut on Saturday in a 7-4 win over the Seattle Kraken.

The Senators will face divisional rivals nine times in their final 20 games of the season, including Wednesday’s matchup against the Canadiens.

At the Olympic break, the Maple Leafs were six points back of the Bruins for the second wild-card spot and had won three straight games.

Since returning, the Maple Leafs are 0-5-2 and are 11 points back of the wild card while sitting second last in the Eastern Conference.

At the trade deadline, they traded forwards Nicolas Roy, Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton for a combined five draft picks.

For Toronto, their first-round pick is on the line. Last season, they traded a top-five protected first-round selection to the Bruins in exchange for defenceman Brandon Carlo.

If the Maple Leafs secure a top-five draft selection, they keep their pick. However, if they fall outside that, the Bruins will receive this year’s selection.

Toronto has three back-to-back scenarios and a California road trip in the last month of the campaign.