Playoff Pool Update

The Minnesota Wild are officially in the playoffs, after they defeated the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night and it looks like they're locking themselves in for 3rd place in the Central Division.  The Nashville Predators are only a win away from top spot in the Western Conference and the Central Division, which would leave the Wild to play the Jets in the opening round and that shapes up to be one hell of a match-up.

A bonus for those reading the blog, I may be nice enough to point out the land mines on the sheet, like Box 8 defenseman Ryan Suter, who is now out for the playoffs with a broken ankle. 

The San Jose Sharks were idle on Monday night, but that didn't mean that they couldn't clinch their spot in the playoffs.  The Sharks did have their ticket punched, thanks to the Kings defeated the Avalanche.  Now, the push for the Sharks will be earning home-ice in the opening round, since the Golden Knights have already clinched the Pacific Division.  The Sharks could still conceivably finish in a wild card spot, which would mean they'd play a division winner, so that's one thing to keep an eye on.

The Sharks don't have any land mines on the sheet today, so feel free to pick whoever you like from San Jose, if they're your team.

If the Florida Panthers lose to the Nashville Predators tonight, lots of playoff implications will drop, so that will be the game to watch tonight, I'm thinking.