Apr 27, 2013; The Blue Jackets’ elation would soon be replaced by depression as they would be eliminated from the playoffs based on a tie-breaker when the Wild beat the Avalanche later in the evening. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports

If you are a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets or a fan of said team, you probably waking up with a horrible taste in your mouth, because you look at the standings and see your team tied in points with the Minnesota Wild yet there is an asterisk beside their name signifying that they are in the playoffs while you are not.

Such is the case, and rules are rules, but the ridiculousness of using a tie-breaker to determine whether or not a team makes the playoffs is not lost on me.  The Blue Jackets played by the rules all season and used those rules to accumulate the same number of points as the Wild, yet some of Minnesota’s points are now deemed more valuable?

A tie-breaker is fine for determining placement if two teams are tied for, say, 5th and 6th in the conference and it just determines seeding.  But for teams tied for 8th and 9th, the NHL should look at the baseball model and have a one game tiebreaker.  I know the logistics are a little different, but imagine the spotlight that would be on a play-in game.  It would give the tied teams a chance to play their way in, instead of relying on a made-up column in the standings to determine their fate.

Even with the parity that the 3 point game brings to the NHL, the only other time in the last 10 seasons the tiebreaker was used was in 2008-09 when the Canadiens had the identical record to the Panthers but made the playoffs based on head to head points in the season series.  ROW was not even a tie-breaker at that time.  It would be difficult to have a play-in game scenario if 3 teams were tied for the 8th spot, but that is a very unlikely scenario.

Yes, I know that teams are fully aware of the tiebreakers going in, I just think it is a terrible way to eliminate a team from the playoffs, and if Ottawa was in the position that the Blue Jackets find themselves this morning, I would be sick to my stomach.

Apr 27, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Minnesota Wild left wing Pierre-Marc Bourchard (96) is greeted by right wing Cal Clutterbuck (22) after scoring a goal during the third period against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center. The Wild won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

1. The Devils put forward a sup-par effort against the Rangers, dropping the game 4-0.  The Rangers clinched the 6 seed with Ottawa’s loss later in the night.  Rick Nash scored twice for New York, and Henrik Lundqvist made 20 saves for the shutout.
2. Montreal moved a point ahead of Boston and slayed a few demons with a 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs.  The loss means the Leafs will be the 5th seed and will play Montreal in the first round if Boston beats Ottawa, or else it will be the Bruins against the Leafs. Lars Eller had a goal and two assists to lead the Habs to victory.
3. Mike Green scored twice in the third period to help Washington overcome a 2-0 deficit, and Eric Fehr had the overtime winner as the Capitals beat the Bruins 3-2.  This loss set up the importance for both teams in Sunday’s only (and the season’s final) game.  Boston can clinch the Northeast with a win over Ottawa, and if Ottawa can get a point in the game it would be a first round matchup.  If Boston wins in regulation, they will play the Islanders.  If  Boston loses, they will play the Maple Leafs.
4. Martin St. Louis had a goal and an assist to clinch the Art Ross Trophy but the Panther scored three times in the third to beat the Lightning 5-3 in a game that meant nothing in the playoff race.
5. Columbus did what they could to make the post-season, ending with a 3-1 win over the Predators.  They scored 3 times in the third period, with goals from Brandon Dubinsky, Cam Atkinson who each added an assist as well,  and Jack Johnson for the win.  They then had to sit around and wait to see the result of the Wild-Avalanche matchup to see if it was enough to get them into the postseason.
6. Minnesota ended the Blue Jackets hopes and snuck into the playoffs with a 3-1 win of their own over Colorado.  Zach Parise, Devin Setoguchi and Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored for the Wild, who will be the 8th seed and face the Blackhawks in the first round.
7. Detroit will hold the 7th seed after defeating Dallas 3-0 on the strength of 3 points each from Henrik Zetterberg (2G, 1A) and Pavel Datsyuk (3 A).  Jimmy Howard made 17 saves for the shutout as the Red Wings extend their consecutive playoff streak to 22 seasons.  They will face the Ducks in the first round.
8. James Neal had 3 goals and and assist and Evgeni Malkin added a goal and 2 assists as the Penguins rolled over the Hurricanes 8-3.  The Penguins await either the Senators or the Islanders in the first round.
9. St. Louis clinched home ice advantage in the first round by beating the Blackhawks’ AHL team 3-1.  Chicago, with nothing to play for, rested many of their top players and let Carter Hutton make his NHL debut in the net.  Jaden Schwartz scored twice for the Blues, who will face the defending Stanley Cup Champion Kings in the first round.
10. The Kings get the Blues because they beat the Sharks 3-2.  Kyle Clifford, Slava Voynov and Justin Williams scored for LA, while Logan Couture and TJ Galiardi replied for San Jose.  With the loss, the Sharks will face the Canucks in round 1.
11. Radim Vrbata had the hat trick and added an assist in the Coyotes 5-3 win over the Ducks.  Anaheim scratched a lot of regulars,but dressed their star players in the loss that didn’t really matter as they clinched the 2 seed some time ago.  They will get the Red Wings in the first round.
12. Nail Yakupov also scored a hat trick and Justin Schultz added a goal and 3 assists as the Oilers ended their season on a winning note, downing the Canucks 7-4.  Vancouver also scratched many of their top players and Henrik Sedin played just 22 seconds, enough to extend his consecutive games streak as the game meant nothing in the standings for the Canucks and they will face the sixth seeded Sharks in round one.

That concludes our tour around the NHL, and for 14 teams, it means the beginning of a long summer.   There is just 1 more game in the regular season, with the Senators visiting the Bruins on Sunday.  Five of the 8 first round matchups are set, with the other three to be determined Sunday.