4 teams clinched playoff berths on Saturday--3 in the East and 1 in the West--to bring the total up to 7, joining Washington, Chicago, and San Jose. Detroit was recently on the bubble in the West, but as they keep winning, they keep climbing. Saturday's Game of the Night goes to their Central Division matchup in Nashville:
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0 (SO)5 rounds of the shootout passed before any rubber was put behind a goaltender the entire night in Nashville, and it took 11 rounds before the game was settled.
Nobody could beat Jimmy Howard or Pekka Rinne through 65 minutes, as both goaltenders get credit for a shutout. Howard made 33 saves for the Red Wings to get his 2nd shutout of the year, while Rinne made 38 saves for the Predators to get his 7th shutout of the year and his 4th this month.
Todd Bertuzzi scored the 1st goal of any kind in the 5th round of the shootout for Detroit, but Nashville's Steve Sullivan kept it alive.
It wasn't until Niklas Kronwall scored in the 11th round for Detroit on his 1st career shootout attempt to give the Red Wings the 2-1 shootout win, and the 1-0 game win. It was their 5th win overall, and helps solidify their playoff positioning.
Detroit now has 91 points and they jump to 6th in the West, a point ahead of both Los Angeles and Colorado, but they have played 1 more game than each of those teams. They are now only 1 point behind the Predators for 5th with a game-in-hand.
These two Central Division rivals meet for the 6th and final time of the season next Saturday in Detroit.
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1The Kings lose their 3rd-straight game in front of the 20th sellout of the season at Staples Center. Their black alternate jersey, the one they will be wearing throughout the playoffs when they go "Back in Black," couldn't help them this time.
Michal Handzus did give L.A. a 1-0 lead, scoring on the power-play 15:52 into the 1st period. Dallas would come up with 3 goals in the 2nd period, all on the power-play. Brendan Morrow made it 1-1 only 17 seconds into the period, and 2 from Brad Richards put the Stars up 3-1 going into the 3rd.
Dallas would get their 4th power-play goal of the game from Steve Ott 48 seconds into the 3rd period to put them up 4-1 and all but end it. The Stars went 4-for-7 on the power-play.
The Kings had won all 5 of the previous meetings with Dallas this season, and were trying to sweep a 6-game season series versus any opponent for the first time in their history.
Kari Lehtonen made 26 saves for Dallas, and Jonathan Quick stopped 21 for L.A.
The Stars are 10th in the West with 80 points, but are 9 behind the Avalanche for the 8th and final playoff spot.
The Kings are still comfortably in the Western Conference playoffs, but mostly due to Calgary's recent losses. They remain 7th in the West with 90 points, 7 points ahead of the 9th-place Flames. They are only a point in front of 8th-place Colorado, but are still only 1 point back of Detroit for 6th and 2 points behind Nashville for 5th. They have a game-in-hand on the Red Wings and 2 on the Predators and they have a total of 8 games remaining.
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Flames 0 Bruins 5
Tim Thomas recorded his 5th shutout of the season for Boston as the Bruins took down the desperate Calgary Flames. Boston is now 7th in the East with 80 points, tied in points with the Flyers, but they have a game-in-hand on now-8th-place Philadelphia. They are 2 points behind Montreal for 6th, but are still only 4 points ahead of the 9th-place Thrashers. Calgary is now in deep trouble. They are 6 points behind the Avalanche for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West, and they only have 7 games remaining.
Flyers 1 Penguins 4
Pittsburgh clinches a playoff spot with their win over their Atlantic Division rivals who are suddenly one of the most desperate teams in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers have dropped to 8th-place in the East, only 2 points up on 9th-place Atlanta and 4 up on the 10th-place Rangers. They are tied with Boston in points for 7th, and 2 behind Montreal for 6th. The Penguins remain tied in points with the Devils for 1st in the Atlantic Division, but they have played 1 more game than New Jersey. They are 4th in the East with 93 points.
Lightning 1 Sabres 7
Buffalo's win, led by Derek Roy's 4th career hat trick, clinches them a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, as they sit atop the Northeast Division with 92 points. They have a 5-point lead over Ottawa in the division with 2 games-in-hand, and are only 1 point behind New Jersey for 2nd in the East. Patrick Lalime got the win for Buffalo, his 200th of his career. Tampa Bay has 72 points and they are 12th in the East.
Rangers 2 Maple Leafs 3 (OT)
A huge loss for the Rangers greatly impacts their playoff hopes. They are by no means out of the race, but no one will be happy with a loss to the last-place Leafs when your team is desperate for points. New York had a 2-0 lead after the 1st period, but Toronto tied it up, and Nikolai Kulemin ended it 39 seconds into the overtime. The Rangers' point gives them 76 and keeps them 10th in the East, 4 points behind Philadelphia for the 8th and final spot, and 2 points behind Atlanta for 9th, with 7 games left. Toronto has 68 points, last in the East.
Devils 4 Canadiens 2
New Jersey clinches a playoff berth for the 13th-straight year with their win over Montreal, who are by no means guaranteed a spot in the East yet. The Devils have 93 points and remain 1st in the Atlantic Division and 2nd in the East. Montreal all of a sudden finds themselves only 4 points in a playoff spot. They have 82 points and sit 6th in the East. They are 2 points ahead of 7th and 8th-place Boston and Philadelphia, and are 4 points up on the 9th-place Thrashers.
Panthers 2 Senators 3
Ottawa moves themselves further into a playoff position, as they now have 87 points, 5th in the East. They're only 5 points behind Buffalo for 1st in the Northeast Division, but have played 2 more games than the Sabres and have only 6 games left. Florida is 13th in the East with 71 points.
Thrashers 4 Hurricanes 0
Atlanta gets a big win over their Southeast Division rivals in the front end of a home-and-home with Carolina, helped in big part by Johan Hedberg's 2nd shutout of the season for the Thrashers. Atlanta remains 9th in the East with 78 points, 2 back of both Boston and Philadelphia for the 8th and final playoff spot. Carolina is 14th in the East with 71 points.
Islanders 4 Blue Jackets 3 (OT)
Josh Bailey put in the winner for New York in overtime, as they beat Columbus for only their 11th road win of the season. The Islanders are 11th in the East with 72 points and the Blue Jackets are 14th in the West with 73 points.
Avalanche 2 Coyotes 6
Phoenix was handed their playoff spot earlier in the day when Calgary lost in Boston, and clinching their 1st berth since 2002 was made to feel even better with their rout over Colorado in front of a packed house in Glendale to give them 100 points on the year. The 100 points have them 2nd in the Pacific Division, 2 points behind the Sharks for 1st, and 4th in the West. For Colorado, the bad news is that they fall to 8th in the Western Conference with 89 points, but the good news is that they are 6 points ahead of the Flames. Colorado has a game-in-hand on Calgary as well, and are a point behind 7th-place L.A. and 2 behind 6th-place Detroit.
Canucks 2 Sharks 4
A 3-goal 2nd period is all San Jose would need to down Northwest Division-leading Vancouver. The Sharks remain 1st in the Pacific Division and 1st in the Western Conference with 102 points, 2 points ahead of Phoenix in the division and 3 points up on Chicago in the conference. They are 7 points behind the Capitals in the President's Trophy race for best record in the league. Vancouver stays 3rd in the West, as they hold on to their 5-point lead over Colorado for tops in the Northwest Division.
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Sunday's Schedule:
Flames @ Capitals, 3:00, CSN
Maple Leafs @ Penguins, 5:00
Oilers @ Blues, 6:00
Devils @ Flyers, 7:00
Blue Jackets @ Blackhawks, 7:00
Avalanche @ Sharks, 8:00
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