The Minnesota Wild secured a spot in the playoffs with a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in their final game, while Vancouver officially confirmed a last-place finish in the NHL.
Matt Boldy scored his 39th and 40th goals of the season, while Kirill Kaprizov also reached the 40-goal mark as Minnesota sealed their post-season spot with seven games remaining.
Ryan Hartman added two third-period goals, including an empty-netter, and Filip Gustavsson made 29 saves as the Wild bounced back from a recent loss.
Minnesota, currently third in the Western Conference, secured qualification much earlier than last season, when they needed all 82 games to reach the playoffs.
For Vancouver, Tom Willander and Jake DeBrusk scored, but the loss left them at 32nd.
The Canucks now have the best odds in the upcoming NHL draft lottery.
Former Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes contributed his 67th assist for Minnesota after joining the Wild in a high-profile trade earlier this season.
Despite a recent high-scoring win over Colorado, Vancouver couldn’t maintain the momentum.
