How many Canadian teams will make the NHL playoffs?

A year ago, not a single Canadian squad made the Stanley Cup playoffs. But when the 2017 NHL post-season opens its door in 10 weeks on Apr. 12, there's a good chance that four or five Canadian-based clubs could be in the 16-team playoff tournament.

Currently, the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators occupy playoff positions in the East, while the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames are among the playoff teams in the West. The Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs all are knocking on the door.

It's a tight, tight race that will be fascinating to watch as 13 teams that currently don't have a playoff spot are within seven points of one.

Here's the outlook for the seven Canadian-based clubs, along with my estimated odds that they'll make the post-season.

Calgary Flames

Current situation: An impressive 5-1 win over conference-leading Minnesota pushed the Flames back into a wild-card spot at 26-24-3, two points in front of ninth-place St. Louis … The Blues, however, have three games in hand and a possibility of a boost from their coaching change … Johnny Gaudreau needs to snap out of his offensive woes. He has only two goals in his last 16 games.

Key stat: Goalies Chad Johnson and Brian Elliott are 42nd and 68th, respectively, in save percentage.

Remaining games: 29 (14 home, 15 road); 16 against teams currently in a playoff spot.

Odds of making the playoffs: 5-1.

Edmonton Oilers

Current situation: Third in the Pacific Division at 28-16-8, 11 points clear of ninth spot … Oilers have the longest current streak of playoff-less seasons in the league at 10 seasons … 5-2 loss at home to Minnesota on Tuesday was not a good way to follow up an impressive 7-1-0 run going into the all-star break … They will have their five-day break next week.

Key stat: Captain Connor McDavid leads Sidney Crosby in the scoring race, 59 points to 56, but Crosby has played nine fewer games.

Remaining games: 30 (16 home, 14 road); 15 against teams currently in a playoff spot.

Odds of making the playoffs: 1-2.

Montreal Canadiens

Current situation: First in the Atlantic Division at 30-14-7, nine points ahead of Ottawa … Habs saw the return of centre David Desharnais (knee) and defenceman Andrei Markov (groin) after layoffs since Dec. 6 and Dec. 17, respectively, in 5-2 win at home against Buffalo … After a red-hot 13-1-1 start, they have been a middling 17-13-6.

Key stat: Habs have the third best power play in league with a 23.4 per cent success rate.

Remaining games: 31 (15 home, 16 road); 14 against teams currently in a playoff spot.

Odds of making the playoffs: 1-10.

Ottawa Senators

Current situation: At 26-16-6, the Senators sit second in the Atlantic Division, nine points behind Montreal … Senators' entire 13-game schedule in February is against teams below them in the overall standings, but they have lost three of four games and yielded 16 goals combined in losses to Columbus, Calgary and Florida … Goalie Craig Anderson is back with the team after being with his wife as she received treatment for throat cancer.

Key stat: Five of Mike Hoffman's 17 goals are game-winners, three behind Jeff Carter's league-leading eight.

Remaining games: 34 (14 home, 20 road); 12 against teams currently in a playoff spot.

Odds of making the playoffs: 1-5.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Current situation: In ninth spot at 23-16-9, one point behind second-wild card Philadelphia … The Maple Leafs have three games in hand on the Flyers … Toronto's post all-star break did not start well with a 6-3 loss to Dallas on the road … The young, skillful Maple Leafs no longer are a surprise to rest of the league and will have to be at their best down the stretch as will goalie Fredrik Andersen.

Key stat: Maple Leafs special teams have been brilliant with second-best power play and third-best penalty killing.

Remaining games: 34 (18 home, 16 road); 15 against teams currently in a playoff spot.

Odds of making the playoffs: 3-1.

Vancouver Canucks

Current situation: Two points out of a wild-card spot at 23-21-6 … Turned around their season with a 9-3-3 post-Christmas run … Return this weekend of Jannik Hansen, out since Dec. 22 with a knee injury, will help their cause … It will be interesting to see if young forward Bo Horvat can continue his strong play down the stretch.

Key stat: The Canucks have had difficulty scoring, ranking 27th in the league at 2.3 goals per game.

Remaining games: 32 (15 home, 17 road); 23 against teams currently in a playoff spot.

Odds of making the playoffs: 4-1.

Winnipeg Jets

Current situation: 12th in West at 24-25-4, three points behind Calgary, the second wild-card team … A 5-3 win in St. Louis cost Blues coach Ken Hitchcock his job on Tuesday … Jets have a bright future with Nikolaj Ehlers, Patrik Laine, Mark Scheifele and Jacob Trouba, but the playoff future is not that bright because of a poor penalty-killing unit and even worse goaltending.

Key stat: The Jets have allowed 3.1 goals per game, 26th in the league.

Remaining games: 29 (16 home, 13 road); 18 against teams currently in a playoff spot.

Odds of making the playoffs: 10-1