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Wild Blog: Back-To-Back Home Games Could Impact Playoff Race In The West

by Craig D. Schroepfer, @CDSWCCO

The Minnesota Wild return to Xcel Energy Center this weekend to kick off their final home stand of the season. While the next five games should give us an idea of where Minnesota will fit in the playoff picture, it's the first two home games for the Wild that could have the biggest impact in the Western Conference playoff race.

On Friday night, the Calgary Flames kick off a five-game road trip and make their only appearance of the season in St. Paul. The Flames haven't made the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the 2009 season and this was expected to be another rebuilding season for them.

Instead Calgary has overachieved this season. The Flames are 40-27-7 and find themselves one point out of third place in the Pacific Division, which guarantees an automatic playoff berth.

What's more amazing is that a month ago Calgary lost their best player, defenseman and team captain Mark Giordano, to a torn bicep tendon which ended his season. In his absence the Flames have thrived going 7-3-3 to stay in the playoff picture.

One of the reasons Calgary has been so successful this season is because of two of their young players, Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau.

Monahan, who was drafted ninth overall in the 2013 draft, leads the Flames in goals this season with 29. That is also good for 10th in the NHL in goal scoring, tied with Minnesota's Zach Parise. 10 of Monahan's 29 goals have come on the power play which is a factor in Calgary having the 10th best power play in the NHL (18.9%)

Gaudreau is third on the Flames in goals with 21 but leads all NHL rookies in assists with 37 and in points with 58. Gaudreau is the favorite to take home the Calder Trophy (Rookie Of The Year) at the end of the season.

The Wild go for the season sweep tonight, having defeated Calgary both times they played each other in Alberta with Minnesota winning 1-0 on January 29th and 3-2 in overtime on Feb. 18.

Regardless of what happens against Calgary, Minnesota won't have much time to dwell on it because the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Los Angeles Kings are in town to play the Wild the following night.

Los Angeles is currently in third place in the Pacific Division with 88 points (37-23-14). The Kings are coming off a 3-2 win against the Islanders and are 6-2-2 in their last ten games, winning the last three in a row.

This season so far has played out like a typical Kings season over the last couple years where they struggle for the first few months of the season before finishing strong near the end of the year to clinch a playoff spot, riding that momentum into the post-season.

The key players for Los Angeles during their win streak have been Center Anze Kopitar and Goaltender Jonathan Quick.

Kopitar has two goals and four assists over the last three games and leads the Kings in scoring this season with 60 points (16G, 44A) while Quick has only given up five goals in the last three games while facing 83 shots on goal.

The Kings have beaten Minnesota twice this season, winning 2-1 in Los Angeles on Oct. 19 and 4-0 in St. Paul on Nov. 26.

So how important are these two games in the Western Conference playoff picture?

The Wild currently hold onto the first Wild Card spot in the West with 91 points, three ahead of Los Angeles and four ahead of Calgary. A sweep of both teams this weekend would not only help Minnesota solidify a grip on a playoff spot but make is unlikely either the Kings or the Flames would catch the Wild in the standings.

Furthermore wins this weekend by Minnesota could keep Los Angeles or Calgary out of the Wild Card race altogether, meaning either the Kings or the Flames would have to finish in third place in the Pacific Division to clinch a playoff berth.

With eight games left in the season for Minnesota, Calgary, and Los Angeles, the margin for error is really thin. By the time this weekend is over these two games could determine which of these three teams will still be playing hockey later this spring.

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