The Chicago Blackhawks’ game against the Columbus Blue Jackets will have no impact on their playoff seeding Saturday, but they’ll be eagerly watching the scoreboard to see which team they will take on in the first round of the postseason.
There are only two possible teams left that the Hawks can take on, as they will either battle the Dallas Stars or St. Louis Blues when the playoffs begin next week. The Blackhawks would start either series on the road, and they’ll find out Saturday night which of the teams they will be beginning their postseason against.
The Blues will be taking on the Washington Capitals on Saturday night, but the Caps have already wrapped up the President’s Trophy and home-ice advantage throughout the postseason, so they have nothing to play for.
The Stars are in a similar boat, as they’ll welcome the Nashville Predators to the Lone Star State. Nashville is locked into the top wild card seed, meaning that they will either play the Los Angeles Kings or Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the playoffs.
As things stand right now, the Stars and Blues are tied at 107 points, with the Stars holding the Regulation/Overtime Wins tiebreaker. That means a win for them will clinch the Central Division championship, leaving the Blues to take on the Blackhawks in the first round.
If the Blues win and Dallas loses, either in regulation or in overtime, then St. Louis would win that division title, and the Hawks will play the Stars in round one.
