Nashville Predators locked into first NHL playoffs wild card thanks to Wild's win over Kings

Though they missed an opportunity to take care of business themselves in Pittsburgh, the Nashville Predators are officially locked into the first wild card position in the Western Conference.

And they have the Minnesota Wild and former head coach John Hynes to thank for helping them out.

The Wild beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 on Monday, which creates a scenario in which the Predators will be guaranteed the first wild card position, regardless of who is behind them in the standings.

Here's how that happens.

The Predators, with their loss to the Penguins, finish the season with 99 points. The Vegas Golden Knights, if they win their final two games against Chicago and Anaheim, can get to 100 points. If that happens, they would jump into third place in the Pacific, passing Los Angeles. The Kings would then fall to the second wild card spot.

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The Kings, after their loss to the Wild, have 97 points. If they win their final game against Chicago on Thursday, they would pull even with the Predators at 99 points, but Nashville owns the second tie-breaker (regulation and overtime wins).

Alternatively, if Vegas drops at least one point in their final two games, they would finish with 99 points. Nashville owns the first tie-breaker against Vegas (regulation wins).

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Technically, the Predators have not "clinched" by definition, but their position in the wild card standings cannot change from here on out.

This means Nashville is likely headed to Vancouver for the first round of the playoffs. As of Tuesday, according to Sport Club Stats, the Predators have a 91% chance of facing the Canucks, a 6% chance of facing the Dallas Stars, and a 3% chance of facing the Edmonton Oilers.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin on Saturday April 20, with schedules likely to be released late on Thursday April 18.