Ducks Gameday—Game 82: still relevant (for now)

Anaheim Ducks (47-20-14, t-2nd in the west) at Columbus Blue Jackets (33-41-7, 11th in the west)

Well, the Ducks were 7 seconds (or one shootout) away from clinching their first Pacific title and the 2nd seed yesterday, but apparently the powers that be want me to watch today’s game with interest as well. The loser point guarantees that Dallas cannot win the Pacific or start with home ice, but the Sharks are still within reach. Still, the Ducks' playoff picture got a lot clearer—we are now down to three potential first-round opponents:

• If the Ducks hold the Pacific (get at least one point at CBJ, or SJS fails to win vs. VAN), then they will host either Minnesota or Vancouver (most likely the Wild) in round 1.
• If the Sharks take the Pacific (they beat VAN while the Ducks get zero points out of CBJ), then the Ducks will start on the road as the 5th seed against Nashville.

Prediction: Ducks 4, Blue Jackets 2. Last goals of the year for Pahlsson, Kunitz, Beauchemin, and Getzlaf.

p.s. One of our similar-themed blogs, the Battle of New York (focusing on the NYR/NYI/NJD tri-valry) is doing a marathon liveblog on most of today’s end-of-the-season games. Check it out!