It’s a quiet night on the battlefront, but a few draft positions are still in play in Wednesday’s games.
Last night’s action kicked off with a 6-3 decision for the Philadelphia Flyers, moving them two points farther away from the bottom. The win prevented the New Jersey Devils from getting any points, and they could slip down to lottery contention if they continue their current trend of winning only every other game.
The Carolina Hurricanes are holding steady just below the Devils, staying close enough to pounce on that potential slide. The Canes moved a little closer to their playoff goal with a win over a struggling Winnipeg Jets team that has been plummeting to the bottom since early January.
Extra time was needed for the Boston Bruins to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets, and that extended Columbus’ point streak to eight games, getting 14 of a possible 16 points in that time.
The Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators did the Canadiens’ tanking efforts a favour with a three-point game, though neither team added to to their ROW totals in a shootout decision that went Ottawa’s way.
It was a tight contest between the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks, but ultimately the Canadian club came away without a point against the hottest team in the league.
The Montreal Canadiens’ position remains unchanged after what was a fair performance by their draft competitors, sitting in 22nd place with 58 points.
The project will focus on any team currently sitting more than one spot outside of a playoff position. Here are today’s games featuring the teams meeting that criterion:
8:00 PM EST / 5:00 PM PST
Montreal Canadiens
Host: Colorado Avalanche
Record: 27-26-4
Position: 12th in Eastern Conference; 22nd overall
Ideal result: Regulation win for COL
How to watch: RDS, Sportsnet E/O/W/P/Now
The next chapter in Montreal’s quest for a top-end talent will have a national audience when the team takes on Alex Tanguay and the Colorado Avalanche. Be sure to check out our preview and follow along in our game thread.
10:00 PM EST / 7:00 PM PST
Minnesota Wild @ Calgary Flames
Records: MIN: 24-22-10 / CGY: 25-27-3
Positions: MIN: 10th in Western Conference; 21st overall / CGY: 12th in West; 25th overall
Ideal result: ?
How to watch: Sportsnet One
Once the Canadiens game concludes, you can switch over and see if the recent coaching change by the Minnesota Wild can propel that team to their first two-game winning streak since December.
They will attempt to do so against a potent Calgary Flames offence that has scored at least four goals in four of their last five games, though their defence has been … not good.
