ESPN NHL

Senators at Canadiens, 7 ET (Game 1)
* Carey Price (MTL): 2-0-1 with a 1.58 GAA vs Senators this season, but faded down the stretch. During the month of April, Price was 4-7-0 with a GAA of 3.49, easily his highest in any month this season
* Senators: 1 of just 2 teams in the Eastern Conference to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a losing record (10-11-3) away from home (Rangers are the other)
* Kyle Turris (OTT): led the team in goals (12) and points (29) during the regular season. The team-highs are the lowest of any team to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and among all teams, only the Predators had lower team leaders (12 goals, 28 points).
* Special teams key: Senators had the league's best penalty kill at 88.0 pct, while the Canadiens power play ranked fifth in the NHL at 20.7 pct

Rangers at Capitals, 7:30 ET (Game 1)
* 3rd straight year (and 4th of last 5) teams are meeting in Stanley Cup playoffs; Capitals won 2 of previous 3
* Rangers won 2 of 3 regular-season meetings with Capitals
* Coaching disparity: Adam Oates coaching 1st career postseason game, John Tortorella coaching 78th career postseason game

Kings at Blues, 9:30 ET (Blues lead 1-0)
* Blues: last time winning consecutive playoff games vs Kings: 1998
* Blues in Game 1: snapped 8-game losing streak vs LA dating back to last season (reg. season and postseason)
* Blues outshot Kings 42-29 in Game 1, including 36-19 in regulation

Red Wings at Ducks, 10 ET (Ducks lead 1-0)
* Ducks: looking for 1st back-to-back playoff wins since 2009
* Ducks: 2-4 on power play in Game 1 (led Western Conference in power-play pct during regular season)
* Red Wings: lost 6 of last 7 playoff games overall, dating back to 2011

Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller talks with ESPN The Magazine's Craig Custance about the Ducks' 3-1 win over the Red Wings.

Blues 2, Kings 1 F/OT (Blues lead 1-0)
* Alexander Steen (STL): 4th player since 1990 with postseason short-handed goal in OT (Source: Elias Sports Bureau)
* Alexander Steen (STL): 2nd career OT goal (1st in postseason)
* Alexander Steen (STL): scored both goals in game (didn't have a multi-goal game this season)
* STL: snap 8-game losing streak vs LA dating back to last season (reg. season and postseason)
* Justin Williams (LA): scored game-tying goal with 32 seconds left in game
* LA: was 4-0 in OT in last year's postseason
* LA: 1st defending champ to lose 1st postseason game in OT since Red Wings on April 10, 2003
FROM ELIAS:
Shorthanded Goals In Overtime
Stanley Cup Playoffs Since 1990
Team
Tue. Alexander Steen Blues
2006 Fernando Pisani Oilers
2006 Jason Pominville Sabres
1990 Tony Granato Kings

Ducks 3, Red Wings 1 (Ducks lead series 1-0)
* Teemu Selanne (ANA): 42nd career playoff goal (7th among active players); 11th career GW playoff goal (T-6th most among active players)
* Ducks: 2-4 on power play (led Western Conference in power-play pct during regular season)
* Jonas Hiller (ANA): 21 saves on 22 shots (fewest shots faced, fewest saves in a playoff game in his career)
* Red Wings: lost playoff opener for 2nd straight year (lost in 5 games in 1st round last year)
FROM THE ELIAS SPORTS BUREAU: Teemu Selanne broke a 1-1 tie with a power play goal early in the third period and the Ducks went on to take a 3-1 victory over the Red Wings in Game One. The 42-year-old Selanne became the second-oldest player ever to score a game-winning goal in the NHL playoffs; Mark Recchi was 43 when he was credited with the game-winning goal in the Bruins’ 8-1 victory over the Canucks in the Stanley Cup Final two years ago. (Recchi scored early in the second period of that game, making the score 2-0, and was credited with the game-winning goal in a game in which Boston had a 5-0 lead at the time that Vancouver scored in the third period.)

Blackhawks 2, Wild 1 (Blackhawks lead series 1-0)
* Bryan Bickell (CHI): game-winning goal in OT (2nd career OT goal in postseason, has 0 career in regular season)
* Marian Hossa (CHI): 37th career playoff goal (tied for 100th most all-time with Wendel Clark, Simon Gagne and Larry Murphy)
* Blackhawks: 1st series lead since winning Stanley Cup in 2010
* Cal Clutterbuck (MIN): 1st career playoff goal
FROM THE ELIAS SPORTS BUREAU: The Blackhawks defeated the Wild, 2-1, in their playoff opener, when Bryan Bickell scored 16:35 into overtime. Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville was behind the bench in a Stanley Cup game for the 140th time in his career, while Minnesota’s Mike Yeo was coaching in his first NHL postseason game. The 139-game difference in playoff experience between the two head coaches is the largest in an NHL postseason series since the 2002 Stanley Cup Final, when Detroit’s Scotty Bowman (348 games of playoff experience entering the series) faced Carolina’s Paul Maurice (30 games); Bowman and the Red Wings won that series in five games.

We're not privy to the NHL's marketing slogan for the 2013-14 season, but it might be something like "Go Big or Go Home, but Definitely Go Outdoors."

Of course, if you read much of the negative commentary surrounding the NHL's decision to multiply its successful outdoor game model like so many bunnies next season -- with six in-the-elements events on the docket -- you'd think the league was determined to bring back the glowing puck and make all its players wear uniforms with blinking lights.

The NHL announced Wednesday the first plank in its ambitious stadium series of outdoor games for the 2013-14 season, a March 1 date at Soldier Field in Chicago between the Blackhawks and the Pittsburgh Penguins, set for 8 p.m. ET.

Over the next week or so, the league will unveil its plans for two outdoor games during Super Bowl at Yankee Stadium involving all three New York-area teams; one at Dodger Stadium between the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 25; and another installment of the Heritage Classic in Vancouver between the Canucks and the Ottawa Senators to be held the same weekend as the Soldier Field event.

These games are in addition to the previously announced Winter Classic to be held Jan. 1, 2014, in Ann Arbor, Mich., between Original Six rivals, the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

When news first broke last month that the NHL was going to take its product outdoors for a total of six games next season, it was interesting to note the instant boo-hooing that arose, mostly from the media.

Oh, too many outdoor games.

Oh, it'll turn the Winter Classic into a cheap dime-store version of its former self.

Oh, it'll rain.

Oh, it'll be too hot.

Oh, the league just wants to make money.

Funny how it works, but the NHL has long been criticized -- and rightly so -- for being too timid, too parochial, too unwilling to seize the moment and work at becoming more than just a niche sport in the United States.

Outdoor games aren't a panacea for all that ails the NHL, but when the league does think outside the box, it is flayed in some quarters.

Yes, these outdoor games are financially successful. Is that a reason not to do more of them?

Funny how much of the criticism of the league has come from the media, and yet we haven't heard much carping from the fans themselves.

Are people in California upset with the opportunity to take in an evening of hockey at Dodger Stadium? Don't think so. And unless we are completely off base (get it, a baseball reference for this game?) the tickets to the first regular-season outdoor game on the West Coast will go in a heartbeat.

Assuming the event is well-received, it will also open the door to more outdoor opportunities in nontraditional markets.

Are the fans in the New York area -- where the NHL estimates there will be 1,000 accredited media members for the Super Bowl festivities leading up to the game in New Jersey on Feb. 2 -- barking at the fact that the New York Rangers will play the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils in twin games at Yankee Stadium?

Uh, no.

Think fans in Chicago will turn away from a chance to see their beloved Blackhawks and the Penguins at Soldier Field because they already hosted a Winter Classic in 2009?

That game between the Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings, the second Winter Classic ever, is considered by Chicago officials to be a seminal event in that team's renaissance after years of being the butt of jokes throughout the sporting world.

The 2013-14 season provides an interesting opportunity for the NHL to try to write itself back into the good news department after another potentially catastrophic labor stoppage scuttled almost half the 2012-13 season.

In a matter of weeks, the NHL will formalize its relationship with the Olympics and agree to take part in the Sochi Games in February.

Two of the outdoor games, including the Soldier Field game, will take place the first weekend after the end of the Olympics and should provide a terrific lead-in to the stretch run of the regular season and be a nice reminder that the NHL is back in business after being shut down for the Olympic break (something that not all owners agree is a good thing).

As for the notion that introducing other outdoor events to the NHL landscape somehow cheapens the Winter Classic, which has evolved into the NHL's most important regular-season date, the schedule of events surrounding the Winter Classic in Michigan promises to make it the most successful iteration yet.

Each year the Winter Classic has grown in scope, and the net it has cast around the hockey community has grown. The event next year involving the Red Wings, postponed this season because of the lockout, calls for multiple alumni games to be played at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit, along with games at various levels, including the major junior and college ranks.

NHL COO John Collins suggested in an interview that the Detroit Winter Classic will be the “granddaddy” of Winter Classics given the surrounding events, including those at Comerica Park, and the game itself at the Big House in Ann Arbor.

Whether it's been Boston or Philadelphia or Chicago, the Winter Classic games have captured the imagination of the local markets and become a touchstone for the casual fan, an elusive group the NHL has been courting for decades.

The fact that more fans than ever will be able to take part in these kinds of events next season can hardly diminish that dynamic.

"It's not just one lens you're looking at this through,” Collins told ESPN.com on the eve of the Soldier Field announcement. "You have to be at these events to understand how the game becomes a gathering point for a community, the way a community lights up around hockey."

"That local impact is incredibly powerful," Collins said.

Would the fans in California likely have a chance to take in a Winter Classic if the league stayed within some self-imposed limit of having one or two outdoor games a season? Not likely.

Is it important to return to big markets like Chicago, where the game continues to grow in importance? Absolutely.

But next season allows the NHL to broaden its appeal while still promoting its biggest markets, and its biggest stars, on the outdoor stage.

Are there risks with taking the NHL into the elements six times next season? Of course.

The league will purchase a new portable ice-making unit that will be used for the Dodger Stadium game, then transported up the coast to Vancouver for the Heritage Classic. But even as technology has evolved and given the league more opportunity to create pristine ice surfaces outdoors in different locales, there will always be concerns about the integrity of the game when you expose it to the natural elements.

Any time the league puts on one of these events, it courts disaster as it relates to how Mother Nature will react. It rained in Pittsburgh in 2011 and the Winter Classic had to be postponed a day.

There have been issues with sun and snow, and the potential for precipitation in Vancouver or in New York next season will always be there. But the league has contingency plans, and what might happen with the weather has become part of the fabric of the events themselves.

What happens moving forward will depend largely on how next season’s outdoor experiment works out.

"I think it’s fluid but we are working on a three-year plan," Collins said.

Added deputy commissioner Bill Daly, "Next year represents opportunities that aren't going to be there every year."

There is nothing to suggest the NHL will go outside five or six times every year, but if these events unfold as planned, you can bet the number of teams clamoring to host an outdoor game will only increase.

In the end, is that such a bad thing?

ANAHEIM -- Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau remained coy on his starting goalie before Game 1 against the Red Wings.

“It’s a toss-up between them,” he said Tuesday morning.

But Jonas Hiller was the first goalie off the ice at the Ducks morning skate, an indication he’s the starter. After practice, he confirmed that he’s been told he’s the starting goalie Tuesday night.

“I’m excited about it and definitely looking forward to tonight,” Hiller said. “I was hoping having the experience, going through playoffs and having played over here a little longer would work out in [my] favor.”

Hiller played 13 games for the Ducks in the 2009 playoffs and led the postseason with a .943 save percentage, including two shutouts. Viktor Fasth had the better regular season statistically, sharing time with Hiller and finishing the regular season an impressive 15-6-2 with a 2.18 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in his first NHL season.

But Boudreau conceded that playoff experience plays a factor in a decision like this. Hiller will have a capable backup ready to seize ice time if he struggles, which doesn’t change a thing from the regular season.

“Every time I played, I tried to play as good as possible,” Hiller said. “Viktor made it tough to play better than him.”

DeKeyser ready for postseason debut

Mike Babcock continued to praise the play of rookie defenseman Danny DeKeyser, who was playing college hockey at Western Michigan earlier this season before signing with the Red Wings in late March.

He’ll make his postseason debut against the Ducks and has given every indication that’s he’s ready for it.

“I watched him a ton obviously over two years, was very excited when we got him, but I had no idea he could do this,” Babcock said. “I don’t consider him a college kid. He looks like a Red Wing to me.”

DeKeyser said a couple of his teammates prepped him on what to expect in the postseason -- faster pace, more physical play, every detail analyzed. Others might be surprised by his success, but he said his expectations were high when he signed, and they included the expectation that he would be a contributor in the postseason.

“I try to set high goals for myself. I wasn’t going to be happy coming in and playing one or two games,” he told ESPN The Magazine. “I wanted to exceed that, come in here and have as big an impact as I could.”

The 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs begin Tuesday as 3 Western Conference quarterfinals series begin. The Kings, trying to become the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions since the Red Wings in 1998, will take on the Blues. The Blackhawks, trying to become the first team to win the Stanley Cup after having the league’s most points in the regular season since the Red Wings in 2008, take on the Wild. And the Red Wings, making their 22nd straight playoff appearance, take on the Ducks.

2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Western Conference Quarterfinals
8 Wild at 1 Blackhawks – Game 1 - 8 ET
* Blackhawks: went 2-0-1 vs Wild during regular season
* Blackhawks: won Presidents’ Trophy for league’s best regular season record (77 pts); a team has not won Presidents’ Trophy and Stanley Cup in same season since 2007-08 Red Wings
* Blackhawks: led all Western Conference teams in goals during regular season (155)
* Blackhawks: led NHL in team goals-against average during regular season (1.98)
* Wild: 1st playoff appearance since 2007-08 season
* Wild: have not won a playoff series since 2003 Western Conference Semifinals vs Canucks
* 1st-ever playoff series meeting between these teams

Playoff Results For Presidents’ Trophy Winners Since 2007-08
Winner Points Playoff Result
2012-13 Blackhawks 77 ?
2011-12 Canucks 111 Lost, Conf. Qtrs.
2010-11 Canucks 117 Lost, Cup Final
2009-10 Capitals 121 Lost, Conf. Qtrs.
2008-09 Sharks 117 Lost, Conf. Qtrs.
2007-08 Red Wings 115 Won Stanley Cup

5 Kings at 4 Blues – Game 1 – 8 ET
* Kings: trying to be 1st team to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions since Red Wings in 1997 & 1998
* Kings: 4th straight playoff appearance (team’s longest streak of playoff appearances since making playoffs 7 straight years from 1986-87 through 1992-93)
* Kings: went 3-0-0 vs Blues during regular season
* Kings: swept Blues in 2012 Conference Semifinals
* Blues: only 3rd playoff appearance in last 8 seasons (2nd straight playoff appearance)
* Blues: have won 2 of previous 3 playoff meetings vs Kings all-time

7 Red Wings at 2 Ducks – Game 1 – 10:30 ET
* Red Wings: 22nd straight playoff appearance (longest active postseason streak in the 4 major pro sports)
* Red Wings: went 2-1-0 vs Ducks during regular season
* Red Wings: 7 seed in team’s lowest seed since current playoff format was adopted in 1993-94 (are a 5 seed or lower for 3rd time in last 4 seasons)
* Henrik Zetterberg (DET): 3rd among active players in playoff goals (51)
* Ducks: only 2nd playoff appearance in last 4 seasons after making playoffs in 4 straight seasons from 2005-06 through 2008-09
* Ducks: 2 seed matches highest playoff seed in franchise history (2007 – won Stanley Cup that postseason)
* Ducks: led all Western Conference teams in power play percentage at 21.5 pct (4th overall)
* Red Wings have won 3 of 5 playoff series meetings vs Ducks all-time (Red Wings won last meeting in 2009 Conference Semifinals)

Longest Active Playoff Appearances Streaks
In The Four Major Pro Sports
NHL 22 Detroit Red Wings, 1990-91 to 2012-13
NBA 16 San Antonio Spurs, 1997-98 to 2012-13
NFL 5 Baltimore Ravens, 2008 to 2012
MLB 4 New York Yankees, 2009 to 2012

From the official NHL release:

HOWARD, ZETTERBERG AND YAKUPOV NAMED NHL ‘THREE STARS’ OF THE WEEK

NEW YORK (April 29, 2013) – Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard , Detroit Red Wings center Henrik Zetterberg and Edmonton Oilers right wing Nail Yakupov have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending April 28.

FIRST STAR – JIMMY HOWARD, G, DETROIT RED WINGS

Howard posted a 4-0-0 record, 0.75 goals-against average, .969 save percentage and two shutouts in four starts to backstop the Red Wings to their 22nd consecutive postseason berth, the longest active streak in all of North American major professional sports. He opened the week by stopping all 34 shots he faced in a 4-0 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes April 22.
Howard then made 23 saves in a 3-1 triumph over the Los Angeles Kings April
24 and 20 stops in a 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators April 25. He closed the season by recording 17 saves for his League-leading fifth shutout in a 3-0 victory over the Dallas Stars April 27. The 29-year-old Syracuse, N.Y., native played in 42 games this season, compiling a 21-13-7 record with a 2.13 goals-against average and .923 save percentage.

SECOND STAR – HENRIK ZETTERBERG, C, DETROIT RED WINGS

Zetterberg led all skaters with 10 points and eight assists in four games, guiding the Red Wings to the seventh seed in the Western Conference in his first season as the team’s captain. He also paced the League with five power-play points (0-5—5) and ranked second with a +6 rating.
Zetterberg collected a season-high three assists in a 4-0 win over the Phoenix Coyotes April 22. He then posted a pair of helpers against both the Los Angeles Kings April 24 and Nashville Predators April 25. Zetterberg finished the week by totaling three points (2-1—3), including the game-winning goal, in Detroit’s playoff-clinching 3-0 triumph over the Dallas Stars April 27. The 32-year-old Njurunda, Sweden, native played in
46 games this season and led the Red Wings with 37 assists while ranking second on the team in points (48) and game-winning goals (5).

THIRD STAR – NAIL YAKUPOV, RW, EDMONTON OILERS

Yakupov scored an NHL-best six goals in four games to help the Oilers finish the season with a pair of victories. He was held off the scoresheet in a 3-0 loss to the Anaheim Ducks April 22, but bounced back with his 12th goal of the season in a 4-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks April 24.
Yakupov then totaled five goals in the final two games of the season, scoring a pair in a 6-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild April 26 and recording his first career hat trick in a 7-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks April 27. The 19-year-old Nizhnekamsk, Russia, native played in 48 games this season and led all rookies with 17 goals and 31 points.

Jack Johnson's calm belies the decidedly jittery situation in which the Columbus Blue Jackets find themselves.

Johnson was taking time before the Blue Jackets boarded their flight to Dallas, where they will play one of the most important games in the 13-year history of the franchise.

Did the defenseman stay up late the previous night to watch the Stars and Sharks play in San Jose?

Nope, Johnson said, explaining that because of the time change, he was in bed and waited until the morning to find out that the Stars had allowed two goals in a 30-second span in the third period en route to a 3-2 loss.

Surely the Blue Jackets were planning to gather en masse to root for the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night when they visited the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena?

Well, Johnson said, he supposed if the game was on in the restaurant where they went for dinner, they'd keep an eye on the score. And of course guys would be keeping up to date on the game with their smartphones.

But as for gathering in one giant circle of nail-biting hockey players sticking pins in their Red Wings voodoo dolls ... uh, no.

That game, won impressively by the Red Wings 3-1, was beyond the control of the Blue Jackets.

Thursday's game in Dallas? That's something they can control.

"We're all very aware of what needs to happen for us and what's going on," Johnson said.

But, he added, "we have to win our last two games. At the end of the day, that's all we can control."

Detroit's win moved the Red Wings ahead of Columbus into the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 52 points, one more than the Blue Jackets. The Minnesota Wild are still in the mix, one point ahead of Detroit, while Dallas (48 points) has the biggest challenge of those still in the hunt for a postseason berth.

All four teams have two games remaining, including Thursday's now-monster clash between Columbus and Dallas in Big D. The fact that both the Stars and Blue Jackets can still discuss the postseason at this late date is something of a minor miracle and adds an upbeat backdrop to the game.

The Stars have missed the playoffs in four straight seasons, and when general manager Joe Nieuwendyk dealt veterans Derek Roy, Jaromir Jagr and Brenden Morrow during the trade deadline period -- all of whom were set to become unrestricted free agents this summer -- it appeared the team was conceding that this would mark five in a row without a postseason game.

But role players such as Vernon Fiddler and Cody Eakin, who came to Dallas in the Mike Ribeiro trade last summer, have provided key production, while veteran Ray Whitney, back from injury, has rewarded the Stars' faith (they signed the soon-to-be 41-year-old to a two-year deal last summer) with much-needed leadership. Goalie Kari Lehtonen, also just back from an injury, has been solid as the Stars have kept a playoff drive alive far longer than expected.

Going 0-2-1 on their current road trip means the Stars' margin for error is zero, but they play at home Saturday night against the Red Wings, and if they can beat Columbus and get some help from the Nashville Predators, who play both Detroit and Columbus, perhaps it will mean something -- indeed, everything.

Columbus, on the other hand, was again trending toward a top draft pick in another desultory season that included the introduction of new team president John Davidson and the midseason firing of GM Scott Howson, who was replaced by Jarmo Kekalainen.

Suddenly the culture around the team shifted and coach Todd Richards began to receive consistent, hardworking performances from a hard-skating, forechecking team that might be short on flash but is long on grit. That, coupled with all-world goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky, now a front-runner for the Vezina Trophy and a dark horse to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP, has seen the Blue Jackets go 17-5-4 since the beginning of March.

"We've got a lot of new faces here, and we really wanted to make sure the mindset and the goals of the team changed," said Johnson, who became a Blue Jacket at last year's trade deadline, when he was acquired from Los Angeles in a deal that saw Jeff Carter go to the Kings.

In the past, the goal seemed to be about getting into the playoffs, but that seemed shortsighted, Johnson said.

"Your goal should be to win the Stanley Cup because, truthfully, if you don't win the Cup, you haven't won anything," he said.

So the Blue Jackets, who have qualified for the playoffs just once in franchise history and were swept in that appearance, started thinking big, not letting a big deficit in the standings affect their level of play.

"I'm sure some teams didn't take us seriously that should have," Johnson said. "I wouldn't trade this group of guys in our room for anything."

After Thursday's game, the Blue Jackets close out their season Saturday at home against Nashville. If they don't beat Dallas, that game may become meaningless vis à vis the playoffs, but that's something to think about after Thursday.

For a team used to slinking out of regular seasons and trying to sell fans on the promise of something better down the road, there is a new excitement surrounding this late-season push.

"There's a buzz around the city," Johnson said. "It's been a long time since they've had these kinds of meaningful games."

For a host of playoff bubble teams facing dire situations, Tuesday was not a good night.

With the Dallas Stars, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Winnipeg Jets all scrambling to secure tickets to the postseason dance, those four teams somehow managed to go a combined 0-3-1. Two of those teams, the Rangers and the Islanders, could not take advantage of weak opponents in the form of the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively.

The Isles did pick up the lone point among the four teams in a shootout loss to the Canes, and it was enough to propel them into the postseason for the first time since 2007. While his name rarely comes up in discussions as a possible Jack Adams Award winner as coach of the year, is it not time to at least give Jack Capuano a little love given how low the expectations were for the Isles this season? (And, as if you needed to check, the Isles were able to avoid a regulation loss Wednesday with 1:01 left in the third period on John Tavares' 27th goal of the season.)

Of the losses that were most painful among this gang of four, Dallas' 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks was a killer. The Stars gave up two goals in a 30-second span in the second half of the third period and couldn't get the equalizer to at least push the game to extra time.

The Stars are in 10th place in the Western Conference, three points out of eighth with two games to play. They must beat the eighth-place Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday and then hope that Saturday's season finale against the ninth-place Detroit Red Wings has meaning.

Like Dallas, Columbus has two games remaining on its schedule, whereas Detroit has three. The Jets, meanwhile, saw any hopes of a Southeast title go up in smoke Tuesday when they were beaten 5-3 by the surging Washington Capitals, who secured the top spot in the division with the win. The injury-plagued Jets battled back from an early 2-0 deficit to make it 2-2 in the second period, only to give up two more goals in less than three minutes late in the middle frame.

The Jets are almost out of time as they trail the Ottawa Senators and the Rangers, who lost 3-2 to the Panthers on Tuesday, by one point. But the Jets have only one game remaining, while the Senators have three left and the Rangers two.

Not on Z's watch.

Those were Dan Cleary's words Tuesday when discussing how badly the Detroit Red Wings want to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time in 22 seasons.

It just can't happen in Henrik Zetterberg's first tour of duty wearing the C.

"It's his first year as captain, he's such a great captain, we respect him so much as a player and love him so much as a guy, we just don't want to see it happen on his watch," Cleary told ESPN.com. "And all of us have a lot of pride -- 21 years and counting in the playoffs for this organization, no one wants to be on the team that ends it."

The Red Wings enter Wednesday night's big tilt with the visiting Los Angeles Kings one point out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference (held by the Columbus Blue Jackets), but with one game in hand.

The Wings hear the talk that after 20-plus years near the top of the hockey world, four Stanley Cups and easily the model organization in the game during that span, their time has come to find out how the regular folk live.

Talk of Detroit's demise also fuels the veterans in that dressing room who have Cup rings.

"It's a huge part, to be honest," said Cleary, a Cup champion in 2008 with the Wings. "We know. Every hockey player knows what's being said about their team."

Truth is, battling for their playoff lives in the home stretch of the regular season is simply an uncommon feeling for the veteran core of this team.

"It is, there's no other way to put it; we've never been in this position, quite frankly," Cleary said. "If anything, we're usually battling for first place or home ice in the playoffs. It's been different."

Also different is the team's offensive struggles. The Wings sit 21st overall in goals per game (2.47), nearly half a goal down from last season (2.92), when they were seventh in the league.

"When you're struggling offensively and losing, it falls on the guys that are counted on to score, and it hurts. Guys take it personally. Obviously I'm one of those guys," said Cleary, who has nine goals in 45 games.

Monday night's 4-0 win over the visiting Phoenix Coyotes, only the fourth time in a dozen games the Wings scored three or more goals, was a welcome sight.

"Monday night was good, [Valtteri] Filppula scored, [Johan] Franzen scored," Cleary said. "Once Franzen scores, next thing you know he reels off six or seven goals in a few games.

"We also scored three on the power play, which was really huge, to be honest."

Filppula had only one goal and one assist in his past 15 games before Monday's tally, so the Wings hope he's ready to turn it around. The center plays nearly 18 minutes a game, and the Wings need consistent offensive production from him.

A tough test awaits Wednesday night in the reigning Cup champs from L.A.

"L.A. is a great team," Cleary said. "They started the season with a bit of a lull, which happens. But they're firing on all cylinders now.

"That team is rolling now. L.A. can't win the division but they're still jockeying for home ice. It's a big game."

The Kings' 2-1 road loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night, coupled with the San Jose Sharks' 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars, has L.A. and the Sharks tied at 57 points in the 4-5 battle in the West; the Kings own the tiebreaker, with more regulation/overtime wins. To Cleary's point, the Kings still have plenty to play for in terms of wanting to nail down the No. 4 spot.

After Wednesday's game, the Wings host the Nashville Predators the next night before closing out the regular season Saturday at Dallas.

Just get in. That's all Detroit wants. Because after that, who knows in this parity-filled league?

"Obviously you have Chicago and Anaheim playing really well [in the West], and Pittsburgh in the East, but other than that, everybody is so tight," Cleary said. "If you don't think that all you need to do is get in and that you have a legitimate chance to move on, then you're crazy; because you really do. We have a great goalie [Jimmy Howard], and a great goalie can bring you a long way."

Ducks 3, Oilers 0
* Ducks: win Pacific Division title
* Ducks: 2nd division title in franchise history; 1st since 2006-07 season (won Stanley Cup that season)
* Ducks: Won last 2 games, both vs Oilers (lost previous 4 games)
* Oilers: lost 8 of last 9 games overall

Canucks 3, Blackhawks 1
* Canucks: clinch Northwest Division title; 5th straight division title, longest active streak in NHL; 2nd is Boston with 2 (could be extended to 3 this season)
* Canucks: 8th straight home win
* Daniel Sedin (VAN): Goal (12), assist; 5 points in last 2 games vs Blackhawks (2 G, 3 A)
* Blackhawks: 1st regulation loss in last 12 games (9-1-2)

Red Wings 4, Coyotes 0
* Red Wings: 3 power play goals; 2-22 on power play in previous 6 games
* Red Wings: currently in 9th place in West, 1 point behind Wild and Blue Jackets
* Jimmy Howard (DET): 34 saves, 4th shutout this season (15th of career)
* Johan Franzen (DET): 2 goals, 1st multi-goal game since April 4th of last season

Penguins 3, Senators 1
* Penguins: 3-0-0 vs Senators this season, outscoring them 9-4 (one win was in shootout)
* Penguins: won 7 straight overall and 5 straight on the road
* Senators: loss + Jets win means Senators just 1 point ahead of Jets for 8th and final East playoff spot

Jets 2, Sabres 1
* Antti Miettinen (AN-tee mih-EHT-tih-nehn)(WPG): Go-ahead goal (3) with 7:36 left in 3rd period (1st goal in his last 12 games)
* Jets: 1st win in last 5 ROAD games
* Jets: 6-0-1 in last 7 games overall
* Jets: move within 1 point of 8th playoff spot in Eastern Conference AND within 1 point of Capitals for Southeast Division lead (Jets play at Capitals Tuesday)

When you make the playoffs every year since 1990, as the Detroit Red Wings have, you're going to run into some naysayers and skeptics along the way. That's been the case pretty regularly since the last lockout, and yet the Wings keep plugging along, filling holes and introducing new key characters from their seemingly limitless supply of dark horse draft picks.

This season has seen the Wings in as difficult a situation as we can recall in terms of keeping that playoff streak alive, what with the departure of future Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom to retirement and veteran Brad Stuart to free agency and a host of injuries to the remaining blue-liners. But as the final week of the regular season began Monday, the Red Wings served notice that, hello, they're still the Red Wings, so hold off on the eulogies at least for a bit.

The Wings scored three power-play goals en route to a must-have 4-0 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes at Joe Louis Arena. The win didn't guarantee a postseason berth for Detroit; in fact, it didn't even push the Wings back into the top eight in the Western Conference. But it did put the Wings back in control of their destiny. They are one point behind the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild, who are in 8th and 7th, respectively. The Wings have three games remaining, as do the Wild, while Columbus has just two. Win out and the Wings are guaranteed an invite to the playoff dance once again.

Now, one big win does not blot out the issues that have plagued the Wings for most of the season. First, they have been unable to get into a real groove when it's mattered, failing to win back-to-back games in nearly a month. The offense has been spotty at best, and Monday's outpouring of goals was the first time Detroit scored more than three times since March 22. On Monday, the Wings relied heavily on the heroics of netminder Jimmy Howard, who recently signed a six-year contract extension. Howard stopped all 34 Phoenix shots, including 12 in the first when the Coyotes outshot Detroit 12-4 but closed out the period down 2-0.

Howard will need to be stellar down the stretch, as the Wings' final three games don't represent any kind of walk in the park. Detroit will host the Los Angeles Kings, who are still battling for home-ice advantage in the first round, and the lowly Nashville Predators on Wednesday and Thursday before visiting the Dallas Stars in their regular-season finale Saturday. The Stars have three games remaining, as well, and were just two points behind Detroit, setting up a potential winner-take-all dynamic for Game 48.

As for the Coyotes, Monday's loss virtually erases any shot at making the playoffs for a fourth straight season. It seems inevitable that last year's Western Conference finalists will join last year's Eastern Conference finalists, the New Jersey Devils, on the sideline as this wacky, shortened season winds its way to a conclusion. Just as the Devils were unable to overcome the loss of Zach Parise to free agency, the Coyotes likewise sorely missed the veteran presence and timely scoring of Ray Whitney, who -- not coincidentally -- has been a catalyst for Dallas as the Stars have stayed in the hunt for a playoff spot.

So, maybe we were a bit hasty in assuming the Minnesota Wild were locks to make the playoffs.

After a lackluster 4-1 loss Sunday night to the lowly Calgary Flames, the Wild woke up Monday to find that they'd sunk into a tie with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final two playoff berths in the Western Conference, with the Detroit Red Wings just three points back with a game in hand.

Now, credit Joey MacDonald, who was stellar for the Flames, stopping 34 of 35 shots. But, come on, these are the Flames -- a team long banished from playoff contention. The Wild's offense, never the team's strong suit and less so with Dany Heatley out with injury, continues to sputter. Minnesota has only three wins in its past 11 games and has gone from battling the Vancouver Canucks for the top spot in the Northwest Division to fighting for its playoff life, a fall that is mindful of the Wild's great descent from the top of the standings midway through last season to a 12th-place finish in the conference.

During this 11-game span, the Wild have been outscored 33-19. Sorry, that won't cut it.

Even though Zach Parise and linemate Mikko Koivu combined for 15 shots Sunday, the Wild are going to need more finish or this season is going to end quickly, whether they make the playoffs or not.

The Wild still control their destiny in the race against the surging Blue Jackets (who came up with a huge 4-3 road win Sunday against the San Jose Sharks) and with the Red Wings, Dallas Stars and Phoenix Coyotes lurking in the weeds. The fact that the Wild play the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche down the stretch (along with the Los Angeles Kings) should help pave the way to their first postseason berth in five years.

Of course, we would have thought that heading into Sunday's game, too.

You can look at games in hand and the upcoming schedule and project all you want, but at this time of year, the results are the results and the standings are the standings.

And so it is that on Thursday morning, the Detroit Red Wings, playoff participants every season since 1990, find themselves on the outside looking in. The shocking state of affairs in the Western Conference comes as a result of a gritty comeback win by the Cinderella Columbus Blue Jackets, who edged Anaheim 3-2 in overtime Wednesday night as the Wings folded 3-2 to the lowly Calgary Flames at the Saddledome.

Credit goes to the Blue Jackets, who trailed 1-0 and 2-1 to the playoff-bound Ducks before Fedor Tyutin gave Columbus the win in overtime. The Blue Jackets refuse to be bowed, in spite of the fact they are in the middle of a playoff-busting six-game road trip. They have won five in a row, the past three in either shootout or overtime. They still have to visit Los Angeles, San Jose and Dallas before closing at home April 27 against Nashville, so their work is not nearly done.

But what of the Red Wings, who have but one win in their past five games and three wins in the past 10? Yes, the Wings’ injuries, especially along the blue line, have been well-documented, but this is a battle-tested group led by Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen, who aren’t getting it done offensively. The Wings have managed just 18 goals in 10 games. The power play has dried up, going 3-for-23 in six games, including 0-for-5 against the Flames. The Wings outshot Calgary 38-17, but still couldn’t close the deal against one of the league’s weaker teams.

The Wings still very much control their destiny as they trail Columbus by two points with a game in hand. They also own the tiebreaker in terms of the number of regulation or overtime victories. But those factors mean little if you don’t win, and losing to the Flames -- who are tied for 13th with Nashville for the second-lowest point total in the Western Conference -- is the kind of result that will loom large. The Red Wings have five games remaining, three at home, but unless they can find the back of the net, all of that will be moot, as will a postseason streak that dates back almost a generation.

Sell, sell, sell ... win, win, win!

The Dallas Stars continued their mystifying ways over the weekend with wins Friday night at Nashville and Saturday at home against San Jose. This stretches their season-high winning streak to five games and very much keeps their playoff hopes alive.

The winning streak began after the April 3 trade deadline came and went, the Stars using the annual transaction window to shed three big-name UFAs from their roster. They dealt longtime captain Brenden Morrow to Pittsburgh, future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr to Boston and No. 2 center Derek Roy to Vancouver.

White flag? Hardly.

The Stars have reeled off win after win since the deadline passed and are just two points out of a playoff spot with less than two weeks to go in the regular season.

"It's been good, I think the young guys like [Alex] Chiasson and [Matt] Fraser have stepped in and have really added a lot of spark," Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk told ESPN.com. "But one of the keys, too, has been the veteran guys and how they've responded, guys like Vernon Fiddler, Eric Nystrom and Erik Cole and Ray Whitney -- those guys have been terrific. They've really stepped up their games."

Here's where it gets tricky: the schedule. The Stars have some mighty tough games left, starting Monday night at Chicago, followed by a home date Thursday with Vancouver, then Friday at St. Louis, Sunday at Los Angeles, April 23 at San Jose, April 25 at home to surprising Columbus, and the finale at home April 27 versus Detroit -- the club the Stars are chasing for eighth in the West.

If the Stars make it in, they will have earned it, that's for sure.

Of late, goaltending has been central in the winning streak. The Stars have been outshot in four of their five wins during the streak, but Kari Lehtonen and Richard Bachman have been outstanding in net.

Bachman has filled in lately as Lehtonen rests a sore groin. Bachman is just part of the unlikely starring cast for Dallas, which also includes rookie Chiasson with six goals in six games, and veteran center Fiddler putting up 10 points (2-8) in his past six games. (Veteran Stars beat writer Mike Heika had a nice piece on Fiddler in Monday's Dallas Morning News.)

"Going back to the last five we've won in a row, they were not easy games, they were heavy games against divisional opponents," said Nieuwendyk. "We've been battling hard, we know the road ahead is tough, too. But we're playing a good brand of hockey right now and I think the guys feel pretty confident with it."

The schedule suggests Dallas will fall short, but it would be ironic if the Stars made the playoffs after shedding their UFAs before the trade deadline. I say ironic because the Stars were also on the playoff bubble in 2010-11 and 2011-12 but chose to not trade away assets at those deadlines in the hope of making the postseason, only to fall just short each time.

Is karma at play here? We will soon find out.