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Around the Rink - Sunday, March 20th

Tim Jackman, Curtis McElhinney

Anaheim Ducks goalie Curtis McElhinney, right, watches the puck hit the net as Calgary Flames’ Tim Jackman looks for a rebound during the first period of an NHL hockey gmae in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on, Friday, Feb. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)

AP

It might be tough to top the pure hatred exhibited between the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins during the NBC Game of the Week, but the five remaining Sunday contests should feature plenty of intensity. Every game has playoff implications, so it should be a fun night of hockey. As always, all start times are according to Eastern Standard Time (ET).

5:00 pm

Nashville @ Buffalo

The West’s eighth seed visits the East’s eight seed in a game that is important for both sides. Each team is coming off big Saturday wins, as the Predators rode an outstanding Pekka Rinne performance to beat the Red Wings while the Sabres absolutely crushed the Thrashers 8-2.

Buffalo will extinguish their one extra game in hand over the ninth-place Hurricanes, but could stretch their lead from two to four. Meanwhile, a win for Nashville would (briefly) propel them to fifth in the West.

New Jersey @ Columbus

Much like the Predators-Sabres game, this matches two conference twins, as the Devils rank 12th in the East while the Blue Jackets are in 12th in the West. While New Jersey’s odds are a little better (even though both teams are eight points behind their respective conference’s eight seeds), they both might already be toast. Whoever wins this game still can hold onto their slim dreams, while a loss - especially during regulation - could be the last straw.

6:00 pm

Montreal @ Minnesota

Both teams have been struggling a bit lately, but while the Habs’ main concerns regard their seeding more than earning a playoff spot, the Wild’s potential for a postseason keeps fading. It’s hard to imagine that Minnesota would be able to close the gap in time to make the playoffs if they don’t win this game. Sadly for them, it might be too late even if they do defeat the Canadiens.

8:00 pm

Calgary @ Anaheim

The ninth-place Ducks (83 pts in 71 GP) host the 1oth-ranked Flames (83 pts in 73 GP) in this high-stakes game. While Calgary has more to lose since they only have nine games remaining compared to Anaheim’s 11, both teams find themselves out of the West’s top eight right now. The Ducks could make a nice jump into the sixth or seventh spot with a win tonight, but the Flames aren’t going to make it easy.

Chicago @ Phoenix

The Blackhawks (84 pts in 71 GP) still need to fight to maintain their position in the top eight while the Coyotes (89 pts in 73 GP) have a legitimate chance to win the Pacific Division. After a red-hot run, Chicago is struggling with just one win in their last five games while Phoenix is on a five-game winning streak, so it seems like the Coyotes might have the advantage. At least on paper, anyway.