The Montreal Canadiens clinched the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference on Wednesday night, locking up a first-round meeting with the Washington Capitals.
Montreal secured its place after beating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 in its regular-season finale, though the club needed only one point to seal the deal.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have officially been eliminated from playoff contention as a result.
"Just really proud of our group," captain Nick Suzuki told Sportsnet's Shawn McKenzie postgame. "I think there's not a lot of people that believed in us and didn't think that we could do this. We've been working every single day for this opportunity. To clinch our spot in the last game seems pretty fitting for us."
Habs defenseman Kaiden Guhle led the way against Carolina with his first career two-goal performance. Suzuki also scored to secure his second consecutive 30-goal season, and forward Jake Evans iced the game with an empty-netter.
Lane Hutson also recorded his 60th helper of the campaign, tying Larry Murphy (1980-81) for the NHL record for most assists by a rookie blue-liner in a single season.
It's been a remarkable run for the Habs, who were in last place in the Eastern Conference with an 11-16-3 record Dec. 16. They've gone 29-15-8 in their past 52 contests to turn things around, though, including a sparkling 15-5-6 stretch since the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
"The adversity that we went through all season, I think it just prepared us for these moments," Suzuki said. "The resiliency of the group was really showing, especially in this game. One of our better games of the season, so I think everyone's really excited for this opportunity."
Montreal hasn't made the playoffs since its stunning run to the Stanley Cup Final in COVID-shortened 2021. The club finished last in the Atlantic Division in each of the next three campaigns.
"It means a lot to be back," veteran forward Brendan Gallagher said. "I'm going to enjoy it, for sure. It hasn't been the easiest week, obviously, trying to get this thing done.
"No better building to do it in, in front of our home crowd tonight. It's special for sure. Now the fun begins. Now we can see what we're made of."
The Habs failed to clinch their playoff spot on Monday after losing 4-3 to the Chicago Blackhawks in the shootout.
This season, the Canadiens have been powered by Suzuki, who leads Montreal with a career-high 89 points in 82 games. Sniper Cole Caufield has also reached new heights with a team-best 37 goals.
On the blue line, Hutson seems primed to take home the Calder Trophy as the league's top first-year player. He finished with 66 points in 82 games and on Monday broke Chris Chelios' Canadiens record for most points by a rookie defenseman.
In the crease, Sam Montembeault has posted a 31-24-7 record to go along with a .902 save percentage. He turned aside 27 of the Hurricanes' 29 shots and saved 1.13 goals above expected during Wednesday's pivotal victory, per Natural Stat Trick.
Montembeault entered Wednesday's action fourth in goals saved above expected (29.32), trailing only Darcy Kuemper, Anthony Stolarz, and Connor Hellebuyck, according to Evolving-Hockey.
"I feel like we deserve to be where we are," forward Juraj Slafkovsky said.
He added, "We kind of made it harder on ourselves at times, but it doesn't matter. We're in."
The Capitals won the first two games of their season series against Montreal in regulation, but the Canadiens picked up a 3-2 overtime victory during their final meeting Jan. 10.
"That's gonna be a tough challenge for us," Gallagher said. "We played them quite a bit early on in the year. I would say one of our low points of the season was in Washington, so I think it's a good opportunity for us to show what we've become."