Blues, Ducks In; Wild, Predators Out

The Stanley Cup won't be handed out until June, but this is the time when we see teams making runs at the playoffs. And you can't win the Cup if you don't make the playoffs. Race for the Cup is your daily check of where your favorite team stands as the season dwindles.

The field is set for the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Western Conference teams were determined Friday night, as both the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks clinched spots with victories. Despite tying a franchise record for goals in a win over the Nashville Predators, Minnesota is out.

In the East

Eastern Conference, 4/10
1.	z-Boston Bruins	114 pts
2.	y-Washington Capitals	108
3.	y-New Jersey Devils	104
4.	x-Philadelphia Flyers	97
5.	x-Carolina Hurricanes	97
6.	x-Pittsburgh Penguins	97
7.	x-New York Rangers	93
8.	x-Montreal Canadiens	93

Eastern Conference, 4/11
1.	z-Boston Bruins	114 pts
2.	y-Washington Capitals	108
3.	y-New Jersey Devils	104
4.	x-Philadelphia Flyers	97
5.	x-Carolina Hurricanes	97
6.	x-Pittsburgh Penguins	97
7.	x-New York Rangers	93
8.	x-Montreal Canadiens	93

There were no games involving Eastern Conference teams Friday night.

In the West

Western Conference, 4/10
1.	y-San Jose Sharks	117 pts
2.	x-Detroit Red Wings	112
3.	x-Vancouver Canucks	98
4.	x-Chicago Blackhawks	100
5.	x-Calgary Flames	96
6.	x-Columbus Blue Jackets	92
7.	Anaheim Ducks	88
8.	St. Louis Blues	88
9.	Nashville Predators	88
10.	Minnesota Wild	85

Western Conference, 4/11
1.	z-San Jose Sharks	117 pts
2.	y-Detroit Red Wings	112
3.	x-Vancouver Canucks	98
4.	x-Chicago Blackhawks	100
5.	x-Calgary Flames	96
6.	x-Columbus Blue Jackets	92
7.	x-Anaheim Ducks	90
8.	x-St. Louis Blues	90

Despite an 8-4 win over Nashville, Minnesota is eliminated because both St. Louis and Anaheim won. Nashville, whose regular season is over, is also out.

The Blues make the playoffs for the first time in three years, and they did it with an amazing run of 40 points in their final 28 games (18-6-4 record).

Calgary's listless 5-1 loss to Edmonton means Vancouver can win the Northwest Division with a victory over Colorado Saturday afternoon.

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What's Next

Thirteen games on the schedule Saturday, many of them with some sort of significance when it comes to playoff positioning.

In the East, Carolina visits New Jersey, Philadelphia takes on the Islanders (who have clinched the league's worst record), and Pittsburgh travels to Montreal. The Hurricanes, Flyers and Penguins are trying to sort out the fourth, fifth, and sixth seeds. The Canadiens need to win to keep pressure on the Rangers, who sit in seventh place right now.

Out West, Vancouver wins the Northwest if it beats the Avalanche in Denver. Columbus needs a point out of its game with Minnesota to clinch the sixth spot. San Jose needs to beat Los Angeles to win the President's Trophy. An Anaheim win over Phoenix means it finishes seventh, otherwise the Blues can finish seventh with a win over Colorado Sunday.

x - Clinched Playoff Spot, y - Division Champ, z - Conference Champ; green - Rise in the Standings, red - Fall. The top three teams in each conference are division leaders.