The Winnipeg Jets secured the final postseason spot in the Western Conference with a 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.

The result eliminates the Nashville Predators from playoff contention. The Calgary Flames were eliminated after losing to the Preds in a shootout on Monday night.

It marks the first time since 2014 that the Predators have failed to make the postseason.

The Jets, meanwhile, are back in the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six years after missing out in 2022.

Winnipeg only needed one point to clinch. The victory came at a cost, though, as forward Nikolaj Ehlers left the game midway through the third period and didn't return after taking a big open-ice reverse hit from Ryan Hartman.

Hartman received a two-minute minor for interference on the play, and the rest of the game was extremely heated. First, Ryan Reaves body slammed Nino Niederreiter after a hit along the boards.

Neal Pionk was then handed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for cross-checking Marcus Johansson in the ribs.

Wild coach Dean Evason called Pionk's cross-check a "cheap" play, according to The Athletic's Joe Smith. Johansson didn't return to the ice after the play, but he didn't leave the bench, either. Evanson added that he hopes "it's not serious."

Later, Hartman and Brenden Dillon got into it.

And then Reaves and Adam Lowry dropped the gloves.

All told, there were 51 penalty minutes in the game - 39 of them coming from the Hartman hit on Ehlers and onward.

The Jets and Wild won't play in Round 1, but there's a chance they could meet in Round 2.

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The 2022-23 Boston Bruins have etched themselves in the NHL history books once again.

Boston established a new NHL benchmark by recording its 133rd point of the season after beating the Washington Capitals 5-2 on Tuesday, surpassing the previous record of 132 held by the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens.

The Bruins, now 64-12-5, set the NHL record for wins with their 63rd victory of the season on Sunday, passing the 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning and 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings.

The points record does come with asterisks, though. The Bruins accomplished the feat in their 81st game, but the Canadiens played only 80 regular season contests when they set the record. Boston's also picked up an additional 11 points with overtime and shootout wins, but Montreal didn't have that luxury back in the '70s when games ended in a tie after regulation.

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The NHL is headed Down Under.

Melbourne, Australia will play host to the first-ever NHL games in the southern hemisphere when the Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings meet in exhibition matchups on September 23 and 24, the league announced Tuesday.

The preseason tilts will be held at Rod Laver Arena - the multipurpose site of the Australian Open tennis tournament - and will be part of the league's annual Global Series.

"The Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings are two of our league's rising young teams and among our most innovative and adventurous franchises," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "We look forward to their two games at Rod Laver Arena and know this history-making visit will thrill our many avid fans in Australia and cause so many more throughout the sports-loving nation to be captivated by our great game."

The Kings are no strangers to lengthy flights, having played preseason games in China back in 2017. They've also flown to Austria and Germany for exhibition contests, and played in Germany for regular season games, along with visits to England, and Sweden.

Jordan Spence is an Australian-born Japanese-Canadian defenseman who's primarily suited up for Los Angeles' AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, this season. He's appeared in six games with the NHL club during this campaign after getting in 24 contests with the Kings in 2021-22. Spence was born in Manly, New South Wales before moving Osaka, Japan, as a child and then to Prince Edward Island as a teenager.

The Coyotes have played a preseason game in Latvia and two regular season tilts in Czechia.

The Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks flew to Germany and Switzerland last October for preseason games, then opened the regular season by facing off twice in Czechia.

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The injury-riddled Colorado Avalanche got some good news on Tuesday.

Though there's still no specific timeline for defenseman Cale Makar's return, head coach Jared Bednar considers the star "day-to-day" and anticipates him being back for the playoffs, he said during an appearance on Altitude Sports Radio.

"He's feeling better. He's eyeing a return. We don't want to rush it. We want him feeling good come playoff time," he said. "We're managing some of those injuries in a way that we don't want them to pop back up. ... We expect him to be back.

"We're not worried about his return for playoffs; we're trying to get him feeling as best he can possibly feel before that date. I'd like to get him in a game this week if everything goes well."

There are three games remaining on the Avalanche's regular-season schedule, beginning Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers. Makar has sat out the last four games with a lower-body injury.

The reigning Norris Trophy winner has played in 60 of the Avalanche's 79 games so far in 2022-23, putting up 17 goals and 49 assists while averaging over 26 minutes of ice time a night. He's been sidelined by an upper-body issue, a head injury, and a different lower-body ailment this campaign.

Bednar also told reporters Tuesday that he expects blue-liner Josh Manson to be ready for the postseason. Manson hasn't played since March 1 due to a lower-body ailment and missed 31 games earlier in the season due to injury. He's only suited up for 27 matchups, chipping in with 10 points.

Though Bednar acknowledged that he wants injured players like Makar to see some playing time prior to the playoffs, that might not end up being the case.

"I would love to get all our guys back to play a game or two," he said, per The Denver Gazette's Kyle Fredrickson. "I don't know if that's going to happen, though. So, am I comfortable with them coming in Game 1 of the playoffs? Yeah, I don't have a choice, really.

"It's not something I control. ... We've seen our guys come back after long stretches and play real well."

The Avalanche have been red-hot as of late, winning eight of their last 10 games.

The defending Stanley Cup champions clinched their spot in the playoffs last week and are currently in a battle for the top spot in the Central Division with a 49-24-6 record.

Makar won the Conn Smythe Trophy last season after leading the Avalanche with 29 points in 20 playoff games.

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Headlined by a battle between two Western Conference powerhouses, we have an exciting 10-game slate Tuesday night. Let's dive into a few of the best ways to attack it.

Oilers (-115) @ Avalanche (-105)

The Oilers are the hottest team in hockey. They've posted an absurd 9-0-1 record over the past 10 games and put themselves firmly in contention for the top spot in the division (and conference) as a result.

Their numbers during this hot stretch have been nothing short of remarkable. Edmonton is controlling better than 55% of the expected goals share and 57% of the high-danger chances at five-on-five.

Dominating at even strength to such an extent makes the Oilers almost impossible to beat given the caliber of their special teams. The power play continues to fire on all cylinders - no team has netted more PP markers the past 10 games, or all season - and they own a positive goal differential while shorthanded over the same stretch.

As dangerous as the Avalanche are, I think they're getting a little too much respect in this spot. They are missing a ton of key pieces - Gabriel Landeskog, Cale Makar, Artturi Lehkonen, Bowen Byram, etc. - while facing a star-studded team playing as well as anybody.

Call me crazy, but I have concerns about a defense that features Jack Johnson, Brad Hunt, and Kurtis MacDermid holding up against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the high-flying Oilers.

Look for arguably the league's most in-form team to grab another crucial two points.

Bet: Oilers (-115)

Jack Hughes over 3.5 shots (-130)

Hughes is enjoying a truly fantastic season in every sense of the word. The most important sense for our purposes, though, is the shot-prop market. We've frequently targeted him, and he's consistently gotten the job done. Hughes has registered at least four shots on goal in 63% of his games, including a whopping 69% on home ice.

Hughes averages seven shot attempts per game in New Jersey, which is a healthy rate to begin with. His numbers have risen even higher recently to 7.7 over his past 10 home dates.

In that span, he has gone over the number against teams like the Maple Leafs, Lightning, Wild, and Hurricanes. It doesn't much matter who the Devils are playing; Hughes simply gets the job done.

I expect that to be the case once again Tuesday night against the Sabres. They play a fast-paced, high-event brand of hockey that tends to bring out the best in offensive players. They were in action last night, so fatigue could be a factor. It's also worth noting Buffalo ranks bottom five in shots allowed to centers over the past 10.

This is a really good spot for Hughes to get involved offensively, and he should be looking to take every available chance since he's four points shy of becoming the Devils' first-ever 100-point player.

Connor McDavid over 3.5 shots (-120)

Unless he's facing top-tier shot-suppression teams like the Hurricanes and Kings, I'm always looking to back McDavid at 3.5 shots. He simply has so much of the puck and spends so much time in the offensive zone that the opportunities will always be there.

McDavid has gone over this total at a healthy 64% clip this season. If we assumed all opponents were neutral and his chances of hitting were exactly 64% each night, that would imply -178 odds, which are obviously a lot higher than we have here.

McDavid has enjoyed success against the Avalanche this season, picking up four shots and a point in each meeting. With the Oilers still fighting for home ice - and a division title - he should see a full workload and then some. Expect the league's best player to take advantage.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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