The Dallas Stars can still clinch the top seed in the Western Conference, but Vladimir Tarasenko made absolutely sure it didn't happen Thursday night.
The St. Louis Blues star scored the winner in overtime to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks, forcing the Stars to wait until Saturday for another chance to lock up home-ice advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs.
The Stars defeated the Colorado Avalanche earlier in the night, but they needed both a win and a Blackhawks victory in regulation to clinch the No. 1 seed.
Chicago led the Blues 1-0 late in the third period, but Tarasenko delayed Dallas' celebration and set a new career high for goals in a season when he scored the game-tying marker.
The Stars and Blues are tied atop the conference with 107 points, but Dallas has three more regulation-or-overtime wins, which would serve as the tiebreaker if necessary.
The Tampa Bay Lightning might be injury-riddled, but they'll at least have one edge early in the postseason.
The Lightning clinched second place in the Atlantic Division with a victory over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night, ensuring home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have secured home-ice advantage in the first round of the postseason.
The club clinched second place in the Metropolitan Division thanks to a New York Rangers loss to the New York Islanders meaning they will host the third-place team in the division.
The club opened the playoffs last season on the road against the Rangers, a series they would drop 4-1.
If the playoffs were to begin today, the Penguins would face the Islanders in a first-round matchup.
"Well we're in the playoffs and that's the number one thing," said head coach John Torchetti after the loss to the Sharks. The interim coach now has until Saturday to help his team find its form before its regular-season finale against the Calgary Flames.
Despite their recent struggles, the Wild have been a different team since the firing of former bench boss Mike Yeo, compiling a 15-10-1 record under Torchetti to save their season.
"The guys have done a great job, I'm proud of them," Torchetti continued, per Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune. "They could have folded when I got here, so I'm really proud of them."
"It's nice to get it out of the way and shift our focus," added goalie Devan Dubnyk, who has now lost three consecutive starts, allowing at least three goals in each start.
The Boston Bruins' shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes ensured the Lightning of a postseason spot for the ninth time in franchise history.
Tampa Bay improved to 45-29-5, moving four points ahead of the idle Detroit Red Wings for second place in the Atlantic Division, and both teams have three games remaining.
The New York Islanders clinched a playoff berth Tuesday after finding themselves down 3-1 early in the third period, as Thomas Hickey completed the 4-3 comeback win with an overtime goal.
"I think it's the hard way," Hickey said about clinching a playoff spot, according to Newsday's Laura Albanese. "We didn't wait for someone else to do it for us. ... That's the right way to do it."
Kyle Okposo and Anders Lee provided the third-period heroics, while rookie goaltender Christopher Gibson recovered from allowing a goal on the first shot he faced, finishing the night with 29 saves to record a win in his first NHL start.
"I don't have any words. I'm still on a high from that game," the 23-year-old netminder said. "I believed in our team and I knew we were going to come back."
John Tavares scored the other Islanders goal, his 31st of the season.
The Islanders' win draws them into a tie for third in the Metropolitan Division at 97 points with the rival New York Rangers, who are in action Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
While Gibson picked up his first victory, Capitals goalie Braden Holtby was prevented from picking up his 48th win of the season, which would tie Martin Brodeur's single-season record.
Alex Ovechkin scored a pair of goals for the Capitals to bring his league-leading total to 47, while T.J. Oshie finished the night with a goal and two assists.
Dumba has appeared in all 80 of Minnesota's games to date, scoring 10 goals and adding 10 assists.
During Sunday's loss to Winnipeg, however, he was a minus-2 and was on the ice for the Jets' third goal, which essentially sealed the loss. He also apparently drew the ire of head coach John Torchetti.
Crawford himself added he hopes to play the final regular-season game in preparation for the postseason, with Scott Darling starting the other two.
Through 57 appearances, Crawford was playing some of the best hockey of his career, recording a career-high 35 wins, along with seven shutouts and a .926 save percentage.
Having already clinched the Presidents' Trophy and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs, it should come as no surprise that the Washington Capitals are favored to win the Stanley Cup in June.
Their odds of winning the East were boosted by a tumble down the board by the injury-riddled Tampa Bay Lightning, although the red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins may have something to say about that.
The Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks lead the way out West, while the best value on the board comes from the team with the lowest odds in the conference, the Nashville Predators.