For a team that not long ago held a comfortable division lead, the array of possibilities for the Ducks\u2019 postseason path is astonishingly ample.<\/p>\n
They could secure a playoff berth without lifting a finger, depending on what happens in the Nashville Predators\u2019 bout with the San Jose Sharks on Monday. They could also find themselves in a quasi play-in game against those same Preds on Thursday, if Nashville wins in any fashion Monday and the Ducks fall in regulation Tuesday, when they\u2019ll visit the Minnesota Wild. Should the Predators beat San Jose in any fashion and the Ducks lose to Minnesota in 60 minutes\u2019 time, the Predators would need a regulation win in Game 82, while the Ducks could make the cut with a win of any kind or an overtime loss.<\/p>\n
The Sharks are essentially playing for pride while the Wild, locked into their playoff position, will rest key players in their season-ending set against St. Louis on Monday and against the Ducks on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Assuming the Ducks do qualify, they could finish in any of five different positions and face any one of five different opponents. Depending on how things shake out in the last gasps of the regular season, they could slide into any of three Pacific Division playoff slots or both the wild-card positions, and could open against the Kings, Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights, Utah Mammoth or Colorado Avalanche.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne at a time. We\u2019ve got one more game, we\u2019ll go to Minnesota and see how it goes, then we\u2019ll talk about what happens after,\u201d said Ducks coach Joel Quenneville, adding that there was \u201ca good chance\u201d he\u2019d be watching Nashville vs. San Jose.<\/p>\n
The Ducks lost both prior meetings with Minnesota by an aggregate count of 7-2. They\u2019ve split with Nashville after a comfortable 5-2 win in October and then a 5-0 shelling by the Predators on April 7.<\/p>\n