NHL Weekender: Avalance, Blues fight it out for playoff berth

There's no better way to go into the playoffs than on a hot streak. In the Eastern Conference, that's exactly what the New Jersey Devils are in the process of doing. The spunky, Taylor Hall-led squad has picked up steam at just the right time, winning four straight, including the playoff clincher against the fierce Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday night.

Out West, the Winnipeg Jets are on a four-game winning streak of their own. They're 9-1-0 in their last 10, securing second place in the Central Division behind the Presidents' Trophy-winning Nashville Predators.

Who's on a skid

After making teams around them look foolish for the better part of the season, the Boston Bruins have cooled off a tad over their last 10 games and have dropped their last three games. Is it cause for concern? Not necessarily, although they probably want to regain that fire before they face off with a team like the Maple Leafs in Round 1.

In the Western Conference, the Colorado Avalanche have dropped three straight headed into the final weekend of regular season of play and five of their last six. While they currently sit in a Wild Card spot, they have yet to clinch a playoff berth, and dropping the 4-2 decision to the San Jose Sharks Thursday night didn't help matters. Colorado's final game of the season against St. Louis will decide which team will keep playing with the Blues just a point behind the Avalanche in the standings. (More on that in just a bit.)

Epic curtain call

The biggest shocker of the week came on Easter Sunday, when Henrik and Daniel Sedin announced that they will retire from the NHL after this season concludes. As we noted earlier this week , the twin Swedes kept their farewell tour short and sweet, but that didn't stop them from giving the Vancouver crowd quite a show in their final home tilt. In the final moments, Henrik fed the puck to Daniel for the OT game-winner over the Arizona Coyotes. When Hollywood wants to make another hockey movie, this one already has a real-life dramatic ending.

Rule clarification?

A couple weeks ago, we noted that the league is making moves to clarify the goalie interference challenge. The claim coming out of the GM meetings was that the rule clarification would be in play by the time the playoffs started. The clarifying tweaks clearly aren't in play just yet, as a very confusing goaltender interference call cost the Nashville Predators their Tuesday night tilt against the Florida Panthers. Needless to say, there were many angry fans and observers that night — including Carrie Underwood.

What to watch this weekend

Saturday, Blues at Avalanche, 9 p.m. EST, Alti, FSMW

Consider concluding your 2018 regular-season viewing with a game that still holds some weight. Most of the matchups this weekend don't mean much, but this one surely does.

The Avs sit just one point ahead of St. Louis in the standings, barely clutching on to the second Wild Card spot in the West. The Blues are also ending the season with a back-to-back, visiting Chicago before facing Colorado. Both teams are coming off losing skids and should have plenty of fire under their skates. If a battle to the death is what you want before playoffs, this is your best bet.