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Push for the Playoffs: Wild getting close to must-win territory

Minnesota WIld v New Jersey Devils

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - FEBRUARY 09: Jonas Brodin #25 of the Minnesota Wild clears the puck as goaltender Devan Dubnyk #40 of the Minnesota Wild stands by in the third period against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on February 09, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

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Push for the Playoffs will run every morning through the end of the 2018-19 NHL season. We’ll highlight the current playoff picture in both conferences, take a look at what the first-round matchups might look like, see who’s leading the race for the best odds in the draft lottery and more.

In Bruce Boudreau’s first 11 seasons as an NHL head coach he missed the playoffs just one time, the 2011-12 season that he split between the Washington Capitals and Anaheim Ducks (he was fired mid-season by the Capitals, then hired one week later by the Ducks).

Every year in which he has coached a full season behind a team’s bench, he has not only made the playoffs, but has also won eight division titles. His teams win. His teams make the playoffs.

If his Minnesota Wild do not once again start stacking some wins together over their remaining 11 games, he is danger of missing the playoffs for what would be his first time in a full-season as a coach.

Saturday could end up playing a decisive role in whether or not that happens.

The Wild, losers of three in a row and five of their past six, will be home to take on the New York Rangers in what is as close to a must-win game as you can get at this point in the season. They enter the day three points back of the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, trailing a surging Arizona Coyotes team that gets to play at home against the Edmonton Oilers.

When you look at the remaining schedules for the two teams it is pretty clear that the Coyotes have an easier path down the stretch. Only four of Arizona’s remaining games come against likely playoff teams, while the Wild have to play nine such teams in their remaining 11 games, including one head-to-head matchup with the Coyotes.

So Saturday is probably a pretty big deal for the Wild given that they are playing a struggling Rangers team that just played the night before (and got crushed in the process) and have a pretty daunting schedule still ahead of then.

First, that matchup alone is a situation where the Wild have to come away with two points. Anything less than that would be a huge disappointment given the circumstances of where the Rangers are, where the Wild are, what they have in front of them, and everything that is at stake.

You simply can not drop this game if you are Minnesota.

A Wild win, combined with a Coyotes regulation loss, would bring Minnesota back to within a single point of that playoff spot and totally change the outlook for the final 10 games. Suddenly, you are right back in it.

But a loss, combined with a Coyotes win, would push them to five points out, and might be enough to crush their remaining playoff chances that are already looking slim.

It is also another huge day in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race as Columbus, Carolina, and Montreal are all back in action. After shutting out the Hurricanes on Friday night, the Blue Jackets visit the Boston Bruins, for what is the second of three games against them in a two-week span, while Carolina gets to what has been a dreadful Buffalo Sabres team. The Canadiens, who sit two points back of both the Hurricanes and Blue Jackets, are playing host to a Blackhawks team that enters the game having won four in a row.

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY
Lightning vs. Blue Jackets
Capitals vs. Hurricanes
Islanders vs. Penguins
Bruins vs. Maple Leafs

Flames vs. Coyotes
Jets vs. Stars
Sharks vs. Golden Knights
Predators vs. Blues

TODAY’S GAMES WITH PLAYOFF CONTENDERS
Blues vs. Penguins (1 p.m. ET)
Islanders vs. Red Wings (1 p.m. ET)
Flames vs. Jets (7 p.m. ET)
Blue Jackets vs. Bruins (7 p.m. ET)
Blackhawks vs. Canadiens (7 p.m. ET)
Maple Leafs vs. Senators (7 p.m. ET)
Capitals vs. Lightning (7 p.m. ET)
Sabres vs. Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET)
Rangers vs. Wild (8 p.m. ET)
Oilers vs. Coyotes (10 p.m. ET)
Predators vs. Sharks (10:30 p.m. ET)

TODAY’S CLINCHING SCENARIOS
EASTERN CONFERENCE

The Lightning will clinch the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference:

• If they defeat the Capitals in any fashion and the Bruins lose in regulation to the Blue Jackets.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

The Flames will clinch a playoff berth:

• If they get at least one point against the Jets.

OR

• If the Wild lose to the Rangers.

The Sharks will clinch a playoff berth:

• If they defeat the Predators in any fashion

OR

• If they get one point against Nashville and Minnesota loses to New York in any fashion.

OR

• If Minnesota loses to New York in regulation and the Blackhawks lose in any fashion to the Canadiens.

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PLAYOFF PERCENTAGES (via Hockey-Reference)
Lightning -- Clinched
Maple Leafs -- 100 percent
Bruins -- 99.9 percent
Capitals -- 99.7 percent
Islanders -- 99.4 percent
Penguins -- 97.9 percent
Hurricanes -- 86.4 percent
Blue Jackets -- 76.1 percent
Canadiens -- 36.8 percent
Flyers -- 2.5 percent
Panthers -- 1.3 percent
Sabres -- Out
Rangers -- Out
Devils -- Out
Red Wings -- Out
Senators -- Out

Screen Shot 2019-03-16 at 10.27.56 AM

PLAYOFF PERCENTAGES (via Hockey-Reference)
Jets -- 100 percent
Flames -- 100 percent
Sharks -- 100 percent
Predators -- 99.7 percent
Golden Knights -- 99.4 percent
Blues -- 96.1 percent
Stars -- 91. 4 percent
Coyotes -- 68.6 percent
Wild -- 22.3 percent
Avalanche -- 10.8 percent
Blackhawks -- 9.3 percent
Oilers -- 2.3 percent
Canucks -- 0.1 percent
Ducks -- Out
Kings -- Out

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JACK OR KAAPO? THE DRAFT LOTTERY PICTURE
Senators -- 18.5 percent*
Red Wings -- 13.5 percent
Kings -- 11.5 percent
Devils -- 9.5 percent
Ducks -- 8.5 percent
Canucks -- 7.5 percent
Rangers -- 6.5 percent
Sabres -- 6 percent
Oilers -- 5 percent
Blackhawks -- 3.5 percent
Avalanche -- 3 percent
Wild -- 2.5 percent
Panthers -- 2 percent
Flyers -- 1.5 percent
Canadiens -- 1 percent
(*Senators pick belongs to the Colorado Avalanche)

ART ROSS RACE
Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lighting -- 115 points
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers -- 100 points
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks -- 99 points
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins -- 92 points
Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames -- 91 points

ROCKET RICHARD RACE
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals -- 46 goals
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers -- 42 goals
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks -- 41 goals
John Tavares, Toronto Maple Leafs -- 39 goals
Cam Atkinson, Columbus Blue Jackets -- 38 goals

Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.