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CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Dave Bolland and goaltender Ray Emery will not play against the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday because of lower-body injuries.

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It isn't just the best team in the East that's vulnerable: History suggests that Chicago could also face a first-round upset.

The Blackhawks opened the season with 24 consecutive games (including a franchise record of 11 straight wins) without losing in regulation, crushing the previous mark of 16 by the 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks and leading to Chicago's first Presidents' Trophy since the 1990-91 season.

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Blues 3, Blackhawks 1
Capitals 3, Bruins 2 (F/OT)
* Bruins: one point behind Canadiens, need win Sunday vs Senators to clinch Northeast Division and 2 seed
* Mike Green (WSH): 2 goals (11, 12); 3rd multi-goal game in last 3 seasons
* Eric Fehr (WSH): Goal (9); second game-winning goal this season
* Capitals: 7-0-1 in last 8 home games; 3 seed in East
FROM ELIAS: Capitals defenseman Mike Green scored two goals, both on power plays, in Washington’s 3–2 overtime win against the Bruins. It was the 14th multiple-goal game of Green’s NHL career and his sixth game with two power play goals. Green’s total of 14 multi-goal games stands second among active NHL defenseman, behind Sergei Gonchar (22); in addition, Green’s total of six multi-PPG games is the highest by any current D-man.

* Blues: clinch 4 seed (final home-ice spot) in Western Conference with win
* Jaden Schwartz (STL): 2 goals (7); had just 1 point in previous 11 games
* Blues: finish regular season having won their last 3 games overall and their last 6 home games
* Blackhawks: 2-game win streak ends; will be 1 seed in Western Conference playoffs
FROM ELIAS: Rookie Jaden Schwartz scored two goals in a game for the first time in his brief NHL career to help the Blues post a season-ending 3–1 win over the Blackhawks. Schwartz is the second St. Louis freshman to record two goals in a game this season, joining Vladimir Tarasenko, who did that twice (January 19 and March 28). The only other NHL team to have more than one rookie with multiple-goal games this season is Tampa Bay (three: Cory Conacher, Tyler Johnson and Richard Panik).

Wild 3, Avalanche 1
* Wild: clinch playoff berth for 1st time since 2007-08 season, will face Blackhawks in 1st round
* Wild: 4-1-0 in last 5 road games
* Zach Parise (MIN): Goal (18); 3rd goal in last 6 games
* Devin Setoguchi (MIN): Goal (13); team's 1st power play goal in last 5 games

Flyers 2, Senators 1
* Flyers: 4th straight win, also won 3 straight road games
* Flyers: 2nd win in last 10 games at Senators
* Claude Giroux (PHI): assist (200th assist of career)
* Senators: trail Rangers by 2 points for 6th spot and Islanders by 1 point for 7th spot in Eastern Conference (finish season Sunday at Bruins)
FROM ELIAS: Flyers goaltender Steve Mason stopped 43 of the Senators’ 44 shots on goal in his 2–1 win at Ottawa on Saturday night, after facing 41 shots while posting a victory over the Bruins in his last game (Tuesday). Over the last 40 years, the only other Flyers goaltender to win consecutive games in one season while facing at least 40 shots on goal in each game was Robert Esche in 2006–07 (Dec. 28 and Jan. 2).

Penguins 8, Hurricanes 3
* Penguins: season-high 8 goals (tied 3-3 after 2nd period)
* Penguins: 5th straight home win vs Hurricanes
* James Neal (PIT): 3 goals, assist; 3rd career hat trick
* Penguins: 11 players had at least 1 point
FROM ELIAS: James Neal, playing in his first game after being sidelined for three weeks due to a concussion, scored three goals for the Penguins in their 8–3 win over the Hurricanes. It was the third career hat trick for Neal, who had scored only one goal in his last 13 games when he was injured on April 5. Before that slump, Neal was tied for second in the race for the NHL goal-scoring leadership, having scored 17 times in his first 26 games (through March 10).

Canadiens 4, Maple Leafs 1
* Canadiens: move into 1st place in Northeast Division by 1 point over 2nd place Bruins with win and Bruins OT loss at Capitals (MTL season completed, BOS is home vs OTT Sunday)
* Canadiens: only 3rd win in last 8 games (3-5-0)
* Lars Eller (MTL): Goal (8), 2 assists
* Maple Leafs: locked into 5 seed in Eastern Conference due to Senators regulation loss to Flyers
FROM ELIAS: Lars Eller contributed a goal and two assists to the Canadiens’ 4–1 win over the Maple Leafs. Eller finished the season with a total of 30 points in 45 games but he did the majority of his scoring in a relatively small number of games. Eller’s 10 multiple-point games (3 three-point games and 7 two-point games) accounted for 23 of the 30 points he registered this season.

Red Wings 3, Stars 0
* Red Wings: clinch 22nd consecutive playoff appearance (5th-longest streak in NHL history)
* Red Wings: won 4 straight games to end regular season (longest win streak of season)
* Henrik Zetterberg (DET): goal, 2 assists (10 points in last 4 games)
* Pavel Datsyuk (DET): 3 assists (8 points in last 3 games)

Most Consecutive NHL Playoff Appearances
Active Streaks
Stanley Cups
Red Wings 22<< 4
Sharks 9 0
Penguins 7 1
Bruins 6 1
Capitals 6 0
>>Franchise record (also had 20 straight from 38-39 to 57-58)
FROM ELIAS: Henrik Zetterberg scored the Red Wings’ first two goals and assisted on their third as Detroit clinched a playoff berth for the 22nd consecutive season with its 3–0 win at Dallas on Saturday night. Zetterberg scored 10 points over the Red Wings’ final four games this season (two goals, eight assists) with at least two points in each game. He’s the first Detroit player to record two or more points in each of four consecutive team games in one season since Pavel Datsyuk had a four-game streak in December 2011. It’s the third time that Zetterberg has registered four straight multiple-point games (he also did that in 2006–07 and again in 2007–08).

Most Consecutive Playoff Appearances
NHL History
Seasons
Bruins 27 1967-68 to 1995-96
Blackhawks 28 1969-70 to 1996-97
Blues 25 1979-80 to 2003-04
Canadiens 24 1970-71 to 1993-94
Red Wings 22 1990-91 to 2012-13
Canadiens 21 1948-49 to 1968-69

Blue Jackets 3, Predators 1
* Blue Jackets: score 3 goals in 3rd period (trailed 1-0 after 2 periods)
* Blue Jackets: finish regular season with 3 straight wins
* Blue Jackets: eliminated from playoff contention with wins by Red Wings & Wild
* Brandon Dubinsky & Cam Atkinson (CBJ): Goal & assist each
FROM ELIAS: The Blue Jackets trailed, 1–0, heading into the third period of their game against Nashville, but they won after outscoring the Predators, 3–0, over the final 20 minutes and outshooting them, 25–5 in the final period. The 25 shots on goal set a Columbus franchise record for one period, and were the most shots by one team in a single period in an NHL game this season, topping the previous high of 24, done three times.

Rangers 4, Devils 0
* Rick Nash (NYR): 2 goals (21); 4th multi-goal game of season
* Henrik Lundqvist (NYR): 20 saves; 2nd shutout of season
* Rangers: finish regular season 5-1-0 in final 6 games
* Rangers: finish regular season with 56 points, will be 6th seed in Eastern Conference (even if OTT beats BOS Sunday to tie NYR in points, NYR has regulation/OT wins tiebreaker edge {have 22, OTT can only get as many as 21})
FROM ELIAS: Rick Nash reached the 20-goal plateau for the ninth consecutive season when he scored the first of his two goals in the Rangers’ 4–0 win over the Devils. Nash, who was traded to the Rangers by the Blue Jackets last summer, will finish the 2012–13 NHL campaign as the only active player with a current streak of at least nine straight 20-goal seasons. Five players who had entered this year having scored 20-or-more goals in each of the past nine NHL seasons had their streaks come to an end largely because of the lockout-shortened 48-game schedule: Jarome Iginla (13 seasons), Marian Hossa (12), Vincent Lecavalier (12), Ilya Kovalchuk (10) and Martin St. Louis (9).

Panthers 5, Lightning 3
* Panthers: score 3 goals in 3rd period (trailed 3-2 after 2 periods)
* Martin St. Louis (TB): Goal (17), assist; wins NHL point scoring title with 60 points - becomes oldest player to win scoring title (will be age 37 yrs, 314 days when regular season concludes Sunday)

Oldest NHL Scoring Champions
Age<<
2012-13 Martin St. Louis TB 37-314
1932-33 Bill Cook NYR 36-165
1962-63 Gordie Howe DET 34-358
1993-94 Wayne Gretzky LA 33-78
1948-49 Roy Conacher CHI 32-166
<FROM ELIAS: Martin St. Louis all but officially wrapped up his second NHL scoring title when he had a goal and an assist in Tampa Bay’s season-ending loss to the Panthers. St. Louis, who also won the Art Ross Trophy in the 2003–04 season, finished with a total of 60 points while playing in all 48 games for the Lightning this year; he never went more than one game without scoring points. He racked up 12 points in January (in six games), 13 in February (14 games), 18 in March (14 games) and 17 in April (14 games). The only other NHL players with a double-figure point total in all four calendar months this season were Steven Stamkos, John Tavares and Patrick Kane.

Coyotes 5, Ducks 3
* Radim Vrbata (PHX): 4th career hat trick (10, 11, 12); 1st hat trick since Jan. 24, 2008
* Jason LaBarbera (PHX): 43 saves (22 in 3rd period)
* Coyotes: go 3-1-2 in final 6 road games of season
* Ducks: 3-game winning streak ends; will enter playoffs as 2 seed in Western Conference (will play DET in Conf. Quarterfinals)

Oilers 7, Canucks 2
* Nail Yakupov (NAY-uhl Ya-kuh-pov) (EDM): 1st career hat trick; finishes season with 17 goals (leads all rookies in goals)
* Oilers: score 6 goals in 3rd period (game was tied 1-1 after 2 periods)
* Oilers: 1st win in last 7 home games (1-6-0)
* Canucks: finish regular season 2-3-0 in last 5 games; will enter playoffs as 3 seed in Western Conference

Kings 3, Sharks 2
* Justin Williams (LA): Goal (11), assist; 1st goal in his last 11 games
* Kings: snap 2-game losing streak & earn 5 seed in Western Conference; will play Blues in Conference Quarterfinals
* Sharks: finish regular season 1-3-0 in final 4 games; will be 6 seed in Western Conference playoffs & play Canucks in Conference Quarterfinals

Here's what you need to know about the Chicago Blackhawks' first-round opponent, the Minnesota Wild:

• The Wild sputtered into the playoffs. They went 5-8-1 and were outscored 41-25 in April. They scored more than two goals just twice in the month, were shut out three times and allowed four or more goals five times. They fought off the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final playoff spot by winning two of their final three games. In between their two wins, the Wild lost 6-1 to the Edmonton Oilers.
  
  
• The Wild haven't appeared in the playoffs since the 2007-08 season. This will be their fourth playoff appearance in franchise history. They haven't advanced past the first round since the 2002-03 season.
  
  
• Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom has been as inconsistent as his team. He was pulled from three games in April. He's allowed three or more goals in seven of his last 14 games. But he also held the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche to one goal in two of his past three starts to help secure the playoff spot. He's been just as up-and-down against the Blackhawks this season. He replaced starting goaltender Josh Harding in the first period of the Wild's first meeting with the Blackhawks, and he stopped all 28 shots he faced in leading the Wild to a 3-2 shootout win. In their second game, Backstrom allowed four first-period goals and was pulled. In the final game of the series, he stopped 30 of 31 shots and the Wild lost, 1-0. He was 24-15-3 with a 2.48 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage on the season.
  
  
• The Wild are in the middle of the pack in most categories. They rank tied for 22nd in goals per game at 2.46, tied for 15th in goals-against per game at 2.60, 16th in power-play percentage at 17.9 and 18th in penalty-kill percentage at 80.7.
  
  
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  Hannah Foslien/Getty ImagesJonathan Toews was second in the league in faceoffs won this season, a stat the Hawks need him to replicate in the playoffs.
• One of the Wild's greatest strengths is their faceoff ability. They ranked third in the league with a 52.4 faceoff percentage. The Blackhawks and Wild were nearly even in faceoffs in their three games this season. The Blackhawks won 92 faceoffs, and the Wild won 89. Both teams have two players ranked among the top 25 in faceoff leaders.
  
  
• The Wild's offseason acquisitions of forward Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter -- two players the Blackhawks went after -- paid off this season. Parise led the Wild with 18 goals and 38 points. Suter had a team-high 28 assists and was third on the team with 32 points. The two players weren't at their best in April, however, when they combined for four goals and eight assists, after combining for 10 goals and 22 assists in March.
  
  
• Two of the three games between the Blackhawks and Wild this season were decided by one goal. The Blackhawks won 1-0 in regulation and the Wild won 3-2 in a shootout. Both teams excelled in close games all season. The Blackhawks were 19-3-5 with a .704 winning percentage in one-goal games, and the Wild were 13-5-3 with a .619 winning percentage. The Blackhawks ranked second in the league, and the Wild were sixth.
  
  
• Rookies Charlie Coyle, a 21-year-old forward, and Jonas Brodin, a 19-year-old defenseman, have been key to the Wild's success this season. Coyle has 14 points on the season and had four goals and three assists in April. Brodin is in the running for the Calder Memorial Trophy. He has two goals, nine assists, a plus-three rating, 60 blocked shots and 18 takeaways on the season.
  
  
• Forward Jason Pominville, who was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline, helped the Wild in their playoff push. He had four goals and five assists in 10 games since being acquired. He is considered day-to-day after taking an elbow in the face recently.
  
  
• The Blackhawks and Wild made a trade in February 2010 that sent Kim Johnsson and the rights to Nick Leddy to the Blackhawks and defenseman Cam Barker to the Wild. Johnsson played eight games for the Blackhawks and was a free agent after the season. The 22-year-old Leddy has played in 176 games for the Blackhawks in the past three seasons. Barker finished the 2009-2010 season with the Wild and also played the 2010-2011 season with them before being bought out of his contract. He had 12 points in 71 games for the Wild.

The Chicago Blackhawks recalled defensemen Klas Dahlbeck and Dylan Olsen from the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL on Sunday.

The 21-year-old Dahlbeck, a 2011 third-round pick, had one goal, five assists and a plus-11 rating in 70 games for the IceHogs this season. He has not played in the NHL.

The 22-year-old Olsen, a 2009 first-round pick, had two goals and nine assists in 50 games with the IceHogs this season. He has played in 28 regular-season games and one playoff game for the Blackhawks in his career.

The Blackhawks recalled nine other players from the IceHogs on Friday.

ST. LOUIS -- As his team returned to the bench to start the third period of Saturday night’s game against the St. Louis Blues, coach Joel Quenneville stayed in the Chicago Blackhawks’ dressing room, watching television.

He wanted to see the final minute of the Minnesota Wild’s victory at the Colorado Avalanche, which clinched eighth place for the Wild and earned them a trip to Chicago for the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

When Quenneville got back to the bench, he informed his players who they would be playing beginning this week.

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The Chicago Blackhawks will play the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Wild secured the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference with a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. The Wild finished with a 26-19-3 record and 55 points. They edged out the Columbus Blue Jackets, who also won Saturday and had a 24-17-7 record with 55 points, by having more ROW (regulation + overtime wins), which is used as a tiebreaker. The Wild had 22 ROW, and the Blue Jackets had 19.

The Blackhawks went 2-0-1 against the Wild this season. The Wild won 3-2 in a shootout in Minnesota on Jan. 30. The Blackhawks won 5-3 in Chicago on March 5 and 1-0 in Minnesota on April 1.

The Blackhawks outshot the Wild in all three games and 95-68 overall. The Wild outhit the Blackhawks in all three games and 66-38 overall. The Blackhawks had 13 giveaways to the Wild’s nine. The Blackhawks had 20 takeaways to the Wild’s 23. The Blackhawks won 92 faceoffs, and the Wild won 89. The Blackhawks were 0-for-7 on the power play and 6-for-7 on the penalty kill against the Wild.

Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford was 1-0-1, allowed five goals and made 43 saves in two games against the Wild this season. Blackhawks goaltender Ray Emery was 1-0-0, allowed zero goals and made 20 saves in one game this season.

Blackhawks forwards Marian Hossa and Bryan Bickell each had two goals and one assist against the Wild this season.

The Blackhawks have lost in the first round of the playoffs the last two seasons after winning the Stanley Cup in 2010. The Wild haven't appeared in the playoffs since the 2007-08 season and haven't advanced past the first round since the 2002-03 season.

ST. LOUIS -- Here is a quick look at the Chicago Blackhawks’ 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues Saturday night at Scottrade Center:

How it happened: Carter Hutton made his NHL debut in goal for the Blackhawks, allowing the three goals on 21 St. Louis shots in the first two periods. Patrik Berglund scored on a delayed penalty, and Jaden Schwartz recorded the first two-goal game of his NHL career. The Blackhawks kept many of their regulars back in Chicago for this final game of the regular season and featured a lineup that included seven skaters, plus Hutton, who had spent most of the year playing for Rockford. One of those forwards, Ben Smith, scored the only Chicago goal at 8:23 of the third period to keep the Blackhawks from being shut out for the first time this season.

What it means: For the Blackhawks, absolutely nothing. They had already clinched the Presidents’ Trophy for the best overall record in the league and finished the shortened season at 36-7-5. The game was much more important for the Blues, and the win clinched fourth place in the Western Conference, giving them home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

What’s next: The playoffs. Minnesota’s 3-1 win at Colorado clinched eighth place for the Wild and set up the first round series, which will begin next week. Detroit also won Saturday night and finished seventh. The schedule for the first round will be announced on Sunday.

ST. LOUIS -- Goalie Carter Hutton will make his NHL debut Saturday as the Chicago Blackhawks rest many of their regulars in their final game of the regular season against the St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center.

The 27-year-old Hutton played for Rockford in the AHL this season.

“It will be exciting and a good test for him,” said Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville. “They’re a big team and they go to the net hard.”

(Read full post)

The Chicago Blackhawks have had to wait until the final day of Western Conference action to discover their first-round playoff opponent.

The top-seeded Blackhawks will play either the Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild or Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round depending on the various outcomes of the three teams’ games on Saturday.

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CHICAGO -- The only time Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford allowed himself to speak about the future this year was just before the season.

Coming off a 2011-12 season in which he received a bulk of the blame for the Blackhawks’ first-round playoff exit to the Phoenix Coyotes, Crawford acknowledged he was out to prove something this season.

“I feel like I need to kind of redeem myself a little bit,” Crawford said during training camp. “I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting and finally it’s here, so I’m getting excited and ready to go.”

That was much pretty much the end of Crawford addressing his mission for the 2013 season. From the season opener against the Los Angeles Kings to the final regular-season home game on Friday, Crawford hasn’t turned his focus away from what’s just ahead of him.

And so far, Crawford’s season-long plan has worked to near perfection. With Friday’s 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames, Crawford improved to 19-5-5 on the season and lowered his goals-against average to 1.94 and save percentage to. 926. He’s tied for third in the league in goals-against average and ranks fifth in save percentage

“Just playing in the moment,” Crawford explained on Friday. “We haven’t gotten ahead of ourselves all year. Now’s not the time do that. We feel good right now. We’re just focused on what we have at the task at hand. We still have another game [Saturday.] We can’t start getting complacent or taking things lightly. We got to keep the same pace and carry into the playoffs.”

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CHICAGO -- Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Blackhawks' 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames at the United Center on Friday.

How it happened: Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane briefly took the team lead in goals by notching his 23rd of the season at 9:34 of the first period. Less than four minutes later, Jonathan Toews caught up to his Kane with his 23rd goal of the season. Marcus Kruger added a third goal for the Blackhawks in the third period. Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford made 25 saves and improved to 19-5-5 on the season. Chris Butler scored a short-handed goal in the second period for the Flames.

Player of the game: Toews scored his fifth game-winning goal of the season. He ranks second on the Blackhawks behind Marian Hossa, who has six game-winners.

What it means: The Blackhawks didn’t have much to play for Friday. They already secured the Presidents’ Trophy earlier in the week. With Friday’s win, they improved to 36-6-5 with an NHL-best 75 points. It could have been the final regular-season game for a number of Blackhawks starters. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville is expected to sit a number of regulars on Saturday after recalling nine players from the AHL on Friday. The Flames finished their season with a 19-25-4 record.

What’s next: The Blackhawks close out the regular season on the road against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. The Blackhawks are 3-0-1 against the Blues this season.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Dave Bolland (lower-body injury) and goaltender Ray Emery (lower body) will miss Friday’s game against the Calgary Flames and are considered day to day, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

Quenneville also said neither would travel for Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Blues.

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks recalled forwards Jimmy Hayes, Jeremy Morin, Brandon Pirri and Ben Smith, defensemen Adam Clendening, Shawn Lalonde and Steve Montador and goaltender Henrik Karlsson from the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL on Friday.

Hayes had one goal and two assists in nine games with the Blackhawks earlier this season. He had 25 goals and 20 assists in 67 games with the IceHogs this season.

Morin had one goal in two games with the Blackhawks earlier this season. He had 30 goals and 28 assists in 67 games with the IceHogs this season.

Pirri led the AHL with 75 points, which included 22 goals and 53 assists, in 76 games this season. He had 12 points in the final four games. He has played in six career NHL games with the Blackhawks.

Smith had 27 goals and 20 assists in 54 games with the IceHogs this season. He has played in 19 regular-season games and seven playoff games for the Blackhawks in his career.

Clendening ranked second among AHL defensemen with 46 points, which included nine goals and 37 assists, in 73 games for the IceHogs this season. He also had a plus-17 rating. He has not played in the NHL.

Lalonde had five goals and 18 assists in 59 games for the IceHogs. He has not played in the NHL.

Montador had two goals and three assists in 14 games for the IceHogs this season. He missed a majority of the season with an upper-body injury. He has 131 points in 571 career NHL games.

Karlsson had an 11-5-0 record with a 2.86 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage in 18 games with the IceHogs this season. He has played in 26 career NHL games.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane isn't making the mistake again of trying to analyze the team's first-round playoff opponent.

Kane did that last season and was wrong when it came to how the Blackhawks matched up with the Phoenix Coyotes. He assumed it was a favorable pairing, and the Coyotes eliminated the Blackhawks in six games.

With the Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota Wild all still potential first-round opponents for the top-seeded Blackhawks this season, Kane is staying away from preferring a specific team to fall into the No. 8 spot.

"It's kind of tough to really pick and choose your team," Kane said after Friday's morning skate at the United Center. "It seems like last year we thought Phoenix would be a great matchup for us. I think a lot of people thought that, and they end up beating us. I'm trying to not think about that too much this year.

"Sometimes you start thinking about matchups, they always seem to go against you and not in your favor. We'll just watch, and whoever we play, we play. But we know it's going to be a tough matchup. We saw a team like [the Los Angeles Kings,] an eighth seed, ending up winning the whole thing. Nothing is granted."

The Blackhawks would play the Wild in the opening round as of Friday afternoon. The Wild fell to No. 8 when the Red Wings moved up to No. 7 with their 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators on Thursday. The Blue Jackets also remained in the playoff picture with a 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

Here's a closer look at all three of the Blackhawks' potential first-round opponents with their records, ROW (regulation + overtime wins, which is used as a tiebreaker), remaining games and best-and-worst-case scenarios.

• Red Wings, 23-16-8, 54 points (seventh place): 21 ROW, one game remaining (at Dallas on Saturday), best case (56 points, seventh place), worst case (54 points, out of the playoffs)
• Wild, 25-18-3, 53 points (eighth place): 21 ROW, two games remaining (vs. Edmonton on Friday, at Colorado on Saturday), best case (57 points, fifth place), worst case (53 points, out of the playoffs)
• Blue Jackets, 23-17-7, 53 points: 18 ROW, one game remaining (vs. Nashville on Saturday), best case (55 points, seventh place), worst case (53 points, out of the playoffs)