Wild Lose, But Keep Distance In Standings

That’s Wild

• The Minnesota Wild might have lost in the shootout to the New York Rangers Thursday night, but they still have some breathing room to keep their playoff spot. The one earned point keeps them eight points above the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks, who are in a heated battle with the Utah Hockey Club and St. Louis Blues for that one, final spot. More takeaways from Thursday: [The Athletic]
• The Wild are struggling offensively, so David Jiricek might help them a little bit in that department. Why they should consider playing the defensemen they acquired earlier this season. [Hockey Wilderness]
• Does newcomer Justin Brazeau have enough to gel well within the Wild’s system? [Hockey Wilderness]

Off the trail…

• The Ottawa Senators are a wagon. After scoring four first-period goals, they ran over the Boston Bruins for their fifth straight win. Seeing Canada’s capital in the playoffs is becoming more and more real with every result. [NHL.com]
• A look into the Buffalo Sabres’ never-ending rebuild, how they got here, and how they get back into the playoffs. [ESPN]
• Sergei Bobrovsky puts himself in the top 10 of all-time goaltender wins after a well-earned victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday. [TheScore]