The Predators could have gone away peacefully, but they chose not to.
They rallied to beat the Red Wings 4-3 in a shootout Thursday night. Would you expect anything different in this frantic Western Conference playoff race?
The past few months of the NHL season have been delightfully excruciating.?We stayed alive,? Predators coach Barry Trotz told the Tennessean. ?That's pretty good. Coming back when you're down 3-1 to the Detroit Red Wings.?
So, while the Blues go into their game with Columbus holding the opportunity to clinch a playoff spot, the scenario is not that simple.
The Blues, Predators and Ducks are fighting over the last two playoff spots. Each team has 88 points.
Anaheim holds the tiebreaker edge on the Blues and Predators and has two games left -? at home tonight against Dallas and at Phoenix on Saturday night. The Ducks can clinch a playoff spot by beating the Stars.
?The bottom line is it's the most important game of the year,? Ducks coach Randy Carlyle told the Orange County Register. ?I know you've heard me say it, but this probably is an exclamation point at this point in our season.?
Nashville has just one game left, at Minnesota tonight. But the Predators also have the tiebreaker edge on the Blues.
The Blues host Columbus tonight and play at Colorado on Sunday. They still control their playoff destiny, thanks to their game in hand over Nashville, but they must keep winning.
They could still finish ninth despite their heroic charge. If the Predators and Ducks both win tonight, the Blues must win tonight AND gain at least a point at Colorado to get into the playoffs. If the Blues win and the Predators lose or get just a point at Minnesota, the Note gets in the playoffs.
The challenge never ends for this team. Three conference teams are still fighting for their playoff lives during the final weekend of the season.
The players involved all understand the stakes.
?This will be the biggest game of the year,? Predators center Jason Arnott told the Tennessean before the team?s final game.
?You recognize it, but you still have to go out and perform,? Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer told the Register. ?Those are sort of two different things. The trick is to be ready to perform and go out and compete as best we can.?
The Blue Jackets have already locked up a playoff spot, but they still are defending sixth place. They came to St. Louis looking to fix their recent problems against the Blues.
?The goal is not sixth place,? Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock reminded the Columbus Dispatch. ?The goal is momentum. We are interested in getting better.?
And the Blues? They are interested -? highly interested -- in making the playoffs. With an amazing three-month hot streak, they have given themselves a clear shot at postseason play.
Finishing the charge won?t be easy this weekend. The Blue Jackets will battle for every inch of the ice tonight. Hitchcock will have his team flying.
We expect the Predators and Ducks to go full-tilt in their games, too. There is little time left and nothing to hold back now.
They rallied to beat the Red Wings 4-3 in a shootout Thursday night. Would you expect anything different in this frantic Western Conference playoff race?
The past few months of the NHL season have been delightfully excruciating.?We stayed alive,? Predators coach Barry Trotz told the Tennessean. ?That's pretty good. Coming back when you're down 3-1 to the Detroit Red Wings.?
So, while the Blues go into their game with Columbus holding the opportunity to clinch a playoff spot, the scenario is not that simple.
The Blues, Predators and Ducks are fighting over the last two playoff spots. Each team has 88 points.
Anaheim holds the tiebreaker edge on the Blues and Predators and has two games left -? at home tonight against Dallas and at Phoenix on Saturday night. The Ducks can clinch a playoff spot by beating the Stars.
?The bottom line is it's the most important game of the year,? Ducks coach Randy Carlyle told the Orange County Register. ?I know you've heard me say it, but this probably is an exclamation point at this point in our season.?
Nashville has just one game left, at Minnesota tonight. But the Predators also have the tiebreaker edge on the Blues.
The Blues host Columbus tonight and play at Colorado on Sunday. They still control their playoff destiny, thanks to their game in hand over Nashville, but they must keep winning.
They could still finish ninth despite their heroic charge. If the Predators and Ducks both win tonight, the Blues must win tonight AND gain at least a point at Colorado to get into the playoffs. If the Blues win and the Predators lose or get just a point at Minnesota, the Note gets in the playoffs.
The challenge never ends for this team. Three conference teams are still fighting for their playoff lives during the final weekend of the season.
The players involved all understand the stakes.
?This will be the biggest game of the year,? Predators center Jason Arnott told the Tennessean before the team?s final game.
?You recognize it, but you still have to go out and perform,? Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer told the Register. ?Those are sort of two different things. The trick is to be ready to perform and go out and compete as best we can.?
The Blue Jackets have already locked up a playoff spot, but they still are defending sixth place. They came to St. Louis looking to fix their recent problems against the Blues.
?The goal is not sixth place,? Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock reminded the Columbus Dispatch. ?The goal is momentum. We are interested in getting better.?
And the Blues? They are interested -? highly interested -- in making the playoffs. With an amazing three-month hot streak, they have given themselves a clear shot at postseason play.
Finishing the charge won?t be easy this weekend. The Blue Jackets will battle for every inch of the ice tonight. Hitchcock will have his team flying.
We expect the Predators and Ducks to go full-tilt in their games, too. There is little time left and nothing to hold back now.
