The race for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference rages on, as the Canadiens, Bruins, Rangers, and Thrashers were all in action on Saturday. But the Game of the Night is going to be given to a Central Division matchup between the 5th and 6th place teams in the West in which 1 of the teams clinched a playoff berth:
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3 (OT)The Nashville Predators are the 5th team in the Western Conference to clinch a playoff spot so far, as they break Detroit's 7-game win streak.
Brian Rafalski scored the only goal of the 1st period to give the Red Wings a 1-0 lead heading into the 2nd.
In the first 5:01 of the 2nd period, Shea Weber and Martin Erat had goals for Nashville, making it 2-1 Predators. Later in the 2nd, with about 4 minutes left, Nicklas Lidstrom tied it for Detroit, only to see J.P. Dumont score for Nashville with 43 seconds left in the period to give the Predators the lead once again.
It wasn't until 37 seconds left in the regulation when Pavel Datsyuk scored the game-tying goal for Detroit to send it to overtime in a 3-3 tie. But it didn't take long for Nashville to answer.
Ryan Suter ended it for the Predators 16 seconds into the overtime to give Nashville the win over their Central Division rivals.
Pekka Rinne stopped 28 shots for Nashville and Jimmy Howard had 20 saves for Detroit.
The Predators remain 5th in the West with 98 points and 2 games left, while the Red Wings remain 6th with 96 points, 1 up on 7th-place L.A., and have 4 games left.
It's the 5th time in the last 6 years that the Predators will make the playoffs in the Western Conference.
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2Washington wins their franchise record 51st game of the season as they are now 51-15-12 on the year. They had a quick start, good goaltending, and good defense to defeat Columbus.
Alexander Semin, Tomas Fleischmann, and Mike Green scored the goals for the Capitals, all in the first 14 minutes of the game. Green's goal was on the power-play.
Antoine Vermette scored a short-handed goal later in the 1st to cut the lead to 3-1 after 1.
No goals were scored in the 2nd period, as the Capitals were holding their ground. Vermette would get his 2nd goal of the night with under 8 minutes left in the 3rd to make it interesting. But the Blue Jackets couldn't put another one past Jose Theodore and the Capitals prevailed, 3-2.
Theodore ended the game with 34 saves for Washington. Mathieu Garon allowed the first 2 goals on the first 4 Capitals' shots before he was pulled for Steve Mason, who stopped 22 shots for Columbus.
The Blue Jackets are 14th in the West with 77 points.
Washington now has 114 points, and they are 1 point away from clinching the President's Trophy for the best record in the NHL. They have 4 games left in the season, 3 of them at Verizon Center.
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1 (SO)Round 5 of the Freeway Faceoff goes to Anaheim in a pretty sloppy, flow-less game in front of a sold-out Staples Center.
Jack Johnson scored the only goal of the game for Los Angeles on the power play with 20 seconds left in the 1st period.
The 2nd period was scoreless and the 3rd period was almost scoreless.
Jarret Stoll took a tripping penalty with 2:13 left in the regulation, and the Ducks would take advantage of the advantage. Saku Koivu would put the puck past Jonathan Quick on a rebound to tie the game at 1 with only 1:32 left in regulation.
Koivu would get the only goal of the shootout to give Anaheim the 2-1 win.
Curtis McElhinney had 28 saves for the Ducks and Quick had 32 for L.A.
It was the Kings first loss when leading after 2 periods, as they are 29-0-1 in that category.
Anaheim isn't exactly dead yet, as they now have 85 points, tied with the Blues, and they sit 10th in the West. They are 4 points behind Colorado and Calgary who are tied for 8th. The Ducks have 4 games remaining.
The Kings are now up to 95 points, 6 points into a playoff spot with only 4 games left. They are 7th in the West, 1 point back of Detroit for 6th, and 3 back of Nashville for 5th with 2 games-in-hand on the Predators.
These two teams meet again in Anaheim on Tuesday night.
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Thrashers 3 Penguins 4 (OT)
Atlanta suffers another heartbreaker, losing out on a chance to set up a 3-way tie for 8th-place in the East. 2 nights after barely falling to Washington, they see their 3-2 lead over Pittsburgh vanish on a goal from Sergei Gonchar with only 1:14 left in regulation. Jordan Leopold's 1st goal as a Penguin gave them the win in overtime. The Thrashers are 10th in the East, a point behind both the Rangers and the Flyers, but Atlanta only has 3 games left--1 more against Pittsburgh, 1 against Washington, and 1 versus New Jersey--while New York and Philadelphia have 4 left. Pittsburgh is 4th in the East with 97 points, but they are tied with the Devils for the lead in the Atlantic Division.
Senators 1 Islanders 4
New York's win gives them 76 points on the year, and they sit 11th in the East. Ottawa remains clinched with 91 points, 5th in the East.
Bruins 2 Maple Leafs 1 (OT)
Miroslav Satan scored the game winner for Boston in overtime--his 2nd goal of the night--to give the Bruins an important 2 points. They now have 84 and are 7th in the East, 2 up on Philadelphia and the Rangers who are tied in points for 8th, and 2 back of Montreal for 6th. Toronto has 72 points, last in the East.
Sabres 0 Canadiens 3
Jaroslav Halak collects his 5th shutout of the year for Montreal and his 2nd shutout in 2 nights. The Canadiens stay 6th in the East and move up to 86 points, moving them much more comfortably into a playoff spot. Buffalo remains 1st in the Northeast Division with 96 points, 3rd in the East.
Devils 4 Hurricanes 0
Martin Brodeur gets his 8th shutout of the year and his 109th of his career to keep the Devils tied with Pittsburgh for 1st in the Atlantic Division. They have the exact same record as the Penguins, but the Devils swept the season series, giving them the number 2 spot in the East. Carolina has 76 points and is 12th in the East.
Rangers 4 Panthers 1
A huge 4-goal 3rd period gives New York a big win, their 3rd-straight, to tie them in points for Philadelphia for the 8th and final playoff spot in the East. The Rangers remain in 9th-place though because they have 2 fewer wins. Each team has 4 games remaining. Florida is 13th in the East with 74 points.
Stars 1 Blues 2
St Louis' win pretty much ends the playoff hopes for Dallas, while at the same time keeping their faint playoff hopes alive. The Blues sit 11th in the West with 85 points, tied with Anaheim, 4 back of Colorado and Calgary who are tied for the 8th and final playoff spot. The Blues have 4 games left, while the Flames also have 4 left and the Avalanche have 5 to go. Dallas has 84 points, 5 points back of 8th, but they only have 3 games remaining.
Oilers 2 Coyotes 3 (SO)
Matthew Lombardi scored the only goal of the 8-round shootout in Phoenix to beat the last-place Oilers. Phoenix now has 102 points and remain 4th-place in the West. They are 4 points behind San Jose for 1st in the Pacific Division and Western Conference with 4 game left. Edmonton has 55 points, last in the league.
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Sunday's Schedule:
Red Wings @ Flyers, 12:30, NBC
Flames @ Blackhawks, 3:00
Sharks @ Avalanche, 8:00
Wild @ Canucks, 10:00
