The Stanley Cup playoffs are right around the corner and as we draw closer and closer to the end of the 2022-23 regular season, more and more teams are starting to secure their spot in those very same playoffs.
On Monday, two teams in the National Hockey League will have the chance to officially punch their ticket into the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs with both the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild having the opportunity to lock themselves in for this season’s big tournament.
For the Stars, locking their spot in the playoffs will be relatively simple. All they have to do to officially advance tonight is pick up a win over their opponent, the Nashville Predators. Whether that win comes in regulation, overtime, or the shootout will make no difference, a win and the Stars will be in.
The other team that can secure their spot today is the Minnesota Wild, and in the case of the Wild there is an extra path to success. Like the Stars, the Wild will advance if they pick up a win in any fashion over their opponents tonight, the Las Vegas Golden Knights. However if they fail to do so they still have a way forward, thanks in large part to the aforementioned Dallas Stars.
Should the Wild fail to win but manage to force overtime, a single point combined with a win from the Stars over the Predators would also be enough to push them over the edge.
Will either of these teams advance tonight? Let us know your predictions in the comments.