Blackhawks Daily: Red Wings Make East Playoff Race Even More Crazy

The Chicago Blackhawks lost to the Minnesota Wild on Sunday afternoon. That game, unless the Wild pull off a miracle, will end up having no barring on the NHL postseason race. However, the other NHL games played on the same day had tremendous implications. That can especially be said for a lot of the teams in the Eastern Conference. The Blackhawks have five games to go but will be facing teams with

On Saturday afternoon, we saw the Pittsburgh Penguins earn a resilient win which elevated them into a postseason position. They have been very good lately and now they have to keep winning to maintain those playoff hopes. While idle on Sunday, however, Pittsburgh didn’t get the help that they needed from the Buffalo Sabres. The Detroit Red Wings took a big win over Buffalo 3-1 at Little Caesars Arena. Patrick Kane played a big role as one of Detroit’s goals came off the stick of number 88.

With this loss, the Buffalo Sabres pretty much took themselves out of the race. The New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals also both lost past regulation but one point was not enough. You can pretty much kiss them goodbye as well.

With all of these results, the Red Wings will wake up on Monday morning holding the last Wild Card spot in the East. They have a lot of work left to do to secure that final spot but they have a chance.The third Metropolitan Division spot is also still up for grabs but only the Islanders, Penguins, Capitals, and Flyers can grab that spot. With just under two weeks to go, there is a lot to figure out. To say that this race is crazy would be an understatement. We haven’t seen this many teams involved this late in a long time.

Blackhawks In Case You Missed It

• Lukas Reichel has been sensational over the last handful of games. His resurgence has been on full display since returning from the Rockford Ice Hogs.
• Seth Jones has been playing much better lately and he is speaking out loud with a bunch of confidence.
• Gavin Hayes and Nick Lardis are going to be a big part of Chicago’s organization as they continue to show signs of greatness.

Hockey Now Playoff Focus

• Pittsburgh Hockey Now: There is a case to be made for Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby to be the Hart Trophy winner.
• Boston Hockey Now: The Boston Bruins have been getting a major speed boost from Jesper Boqvist right at the perfect time. With the playoffs looming, that will help them.
• San Jose Hockey Now: The San Jose Sharks were dealt another tough loss while lots of NHL teams are gearing up for their postseason runs.