In December, few would have predicted that the Montreal Canadiens would reach the playoffs this season. However, by April, the Canadiens firmly hold the second wild card spot, with 85 points in the Eastern Conference.According to MoneyPuck, the Montreal Canadiens have improved their playoff chances to 84.1% following a 2-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Sunday. The Habs also extended their winning streak to five games and lead the third-placed NY Rangers (36-33-7) by six points in the wild-card standings.The Canadiens last made it to the playoffs in 2021 when they advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, losing 1-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5. As things stand, spring hockey in Montreal is almost assured now.Montreal Canadiens improve playoff chances after win over Nashville PredatorsOn Sunday, the Montreal Canadiens beat the Nashville Predators 2-1 at Bridgestone Arena, extending their winning streak to five games.Steven Stamkos opened the scoring for the Predators at 4:19 into the first period. That was the only goal the Preds managed in the matchup."Every game is the biggest one going forward,” Caufield said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a back to back with travel. You’ve got to find a way, and I thought we did that tonight. It wasn’t, obviously, pretty but you’ll take the two (points) whenever you can get them.”Cole Caufield tied it 1-1 for the Canadiens at 1:40 into the second period. At 5:47, Patrik Laine scored the winner for the Habs. Jakub Dobes was solid between the pipes, making 35 saves and posting a .972 save percentage."We had tough traveling,” Dobes said. “Maybe the guys were a little bit tired. They were just more prepared, more fresh. That’s why they had a little bit of push, but we managed it and we won, so everyone is pretty happy.”The Canadiens will hope to continue their impressive run of results when they return home to face the Detroit Red Wings (36-33-7) at Centre Bell Arena on Tuesday. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET.Also Read: 3 most impressive Montreal Canadiens players from 2-1 over Nashville Predators feat. Patrik Laine