Between a rock and an Octopus

The former champions are forty minutes away from deciding their season. With 81 games played they sit just two point ahead of the Dallas Stars, who play later today against Minnesota. A overtime loss or a win would secure the Blackhawks in the postseason, while a loss combined with a Stars win would send them to the greens.


Here's how the point breakdown looks. With Chicago grabbing:
2 pts they will seed 5th.
1 pt they will seed 7th.
0 pts they will stay at 8th.
(A loss by both the Hawks and the Stars would have Chicago clinch 8th.)

The Western Conference teams are nowhere near seeded yet, but the Canucks, Sharks, and Red Wings have clinched their divisions. While Phoenix, Nashville, Los Angeles, and Anaheim have checked their tickets to the dance.

If Dallas were to grabbed the eighth seed they Southwest Division would be sending their entire division to invitation. A feat that has not been done in recent memory. While the Northwest, home of the President's Trophy winning Vancouver Canucks, would be represented by only one.

The East is a lock and teams are prepping for their first round opponents. Starting this week:
The Washington Capitals will host the New York Rangers.
The Philadelphia Flyers will host the Buffalo Sabres.
The Boston Bruins will host the Montreal Canadiens.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will host the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Follow up
Game ends 4-3 Detroit in regulation. Now Chicago has to wait for the outcome of the Dallas, Minnesota game. With a win in OT or regulation the Stars would be the final team to clinch a playoff berth.

The Stars began their NHL franchise in Minnesota where they were the North Stars until they packed up and left for Dallas in the nineties. Minnesota has come up short once again and the most loyal fans in hockey may be getting a tad irate.

The game is at 600 pm EST on NHL NET and possibly NHL.com