Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Conference Trends

03/30/2015 at 12:27pm EDT

from Katie Strang of ESPN,

What to watch for

Detroit's net presence: The Detroit Red Wings’ crease is becoming more and more intriguing with both Jimmy Howard and Petr Mrazek struggling through some rough outings of late. Coach Mike Babcock handed the keys to Mrazek over the weekend after Howard gave up three goals on 10 shots to San Jose on Thursday, but Mrazek was yanked during a shaky performance Sunday in which he surrendered four goals on 11 shots to the New York Islanders. Who will it be between the pipes for the Wings when the playoffs begin? Stay tuned.

Red rising: With a game in hand on the Islanders and the Penguins hobbled heading into this week’s action, can the Washington Capitals make a push for one of the top three spots in the Metropolitan Division? Doing so could be a major factor in being able to avoid a tougher first-round matchup.

Panthers-Bruins: The Cats and B's will square off twice before the end of the season in games with major playoff implications for both teams. One of those matches is slated for Tuesday, when the Panthers travel to Boston looking to make up some ground on their wild card foe. Florida trails the Bruins by four points for that last wild card spot, but the Panthers finish up the season with a five-game home-stand. Things could get really interesting.

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Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks clinched a playoff berth last Saturday against the New York Islanders, and a 2-1 win against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday wrapped up a five-game road trip and extinguished the Devils’ postseason hopes in the process. With their third consecutive win, the Ducks are aiming for the Presidents’ Trophy with a three-point lead on the Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators for the league’s best overall record.

Minnesota Wild: With five straight wins, and seven of their past eight, the Wild are peaking at the right time heading into the final days of the regular season. And though the Wild have leaned heavily on goalie Devan Dubnyk, he’s shown no signs of a letdown. Dubnyk, who has been sensational since he was acquired from Arizona at midseason, made his 34th consecutive start in Saturday’s 4-1 victory against the Los Angeles Kings. His 31-save effort, which came in the second game of a back-to-back, improved his record to 26-6-1 since joining the Wild.

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About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

Email Paul anytime at [email protected]