In May, the Ice Hockey World Championship will be played in Stockholm, and it is now becoming clear which NHL stars may be included in national team captain Sam Hallam's squad.
A home World Championship could, for example, be attractive to New York Rangers star Mika Zibanejad. After last night's 1-5 loss at home to Victor Hedman's playoff-bound Tampa Bay, Rangers are six points behind Montreal in the battle for the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. Both teams have five matches left to play.
Ottawa has a firm grip on the first wildcard spot with 90 points – the Canadian team has an 11-point lead over Rangers and Detroit (one fewer game played).
In the Western Conference, St Louis (93 points/3 matches left to play) and Minnesota (91/4) currently hold the two wildcard spots, but Calgary (87/5) is hot on their heels.
St Louis suffered their first loss after 12 consecutive wins on Tuesday night. Series-leading Winnipeg won at home with 3-1. Defender Philip Broberg was credited with an assist on St Louis' only goal.
The following teams have already been eliminated from reaching the Stanley Cup playoffs: Anaheim, Seattle, Nashville, Chicago, San Jose, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Boston.
