The NHL playoffs start April 9. In the Northwest Division, it’s almost as if they’ve already begun.
Brent Burns and Branko Radivojevic both scored and Niklas Backstrom stopped 29 shots for the Minnesota Wild to give them a 3-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche and break a three-way tie for first place.
The game began a final stretch that features four teams with division title aspirations, and none with a playoff spot locked up.
“It’s exactly like a playoff game,” Minnesota forward Brian Rolston said. “The good thing about all of us being around the 84(-point) mark is we’ll all be playoff ready. These last nine games will be a playoff game every night because we’re all fighting, scratching and clawing to get into the playoffs.”
The Wild have 86 points, two ahead of Colorado and Calgary and four in front of Vancouver, which holds the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The Avs began a stretch of nine straight games against division opponents to end the season on Monday, while the Flames and Vancouver will also finish out with nine straight against Northwest foes. Minnesota will finish off with eight consecutive division games and has a four-game road trip next—with stops in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary before coming home for four of its last five.
