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Coyotes take three-point lead over Stars for West’s final wild card spot

Phoenix Coyotes v Pittsburgh Penguins

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 25: Mikkel Boedker #89 of the Phoenix Coyotes celebrates his second-period goal with teammates Shane Doan #19 and Antoine Vermette #50 during the game at Consol Energy Center on March 25, 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Justin K. Aller

From the look of things, the Western Conference’s wild card race won’t be as crowded as the erratic East, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a compelling tug-of-war for the final spot.

The Phoenix Coyotes pulled things in their direction on Tuesday by beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 while the Dallas Stars lost 4-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks. With that, the ‘Yotes now have a three-point lead for that eighth spot out West, although there are a few reasons why that margin is even slimmer than it sounds.

westwildmarch25

James OBrien

As you may notice, the Stars have a game in hand, so they could come within two points with a shootout/overtime loss and one point with a win. Most importantly - and most intriguingly - the two teams also will finish off their regular season schedules with a game in Phoenix on April 13.

(If you don’t have a horse in that race, that has to be the situation to root for from a drama standpoint, right?)

The highlight of the Phoenix win was also the game-winning goal, as Mikkel Boedker scored this wicked one:

Andrew Shaw’s 19th goal of the season didn’t clinch it for Chicago, yet it’s worth watching in its own right:

The Coyotes finish their three-game Metropolitan Division road trip against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Stars host the Nashville Predators before embarking on what could be a make-or-break five-game road trip that begins in St. Louis and then switches to four teams that once played in the now-defunct Southeast Division (Washington, Carolina, Tampa Bay and Florida).

While the Vancouver Canucks have an outside chance at making this a three-team race, it seems likely that the final spot may come down to a seesaw battle between the Stars and Coyotes. Phoenix won this round, then.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins