Detroit has a game in hand and slight edge in points percentage in a tight race for the Eastern Conference's final wild-card spot ... to Colorado along with Jimmy Vesey on Saturday.

The Blue Jackets are jockeying with several other teams for the final wild-card spot. Eventually ... them with fresher legs belonging to Jimmy Vesey and Miles Wood. Still, the Avs scored first ...

But as of Tuesday morning, they remain in playoff contention, tied with the New York Islanders one point behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card in the Eastern ... as well as Ryan ...

Sometimes you have to throw your hands up and say, that’s hockey. That’s a bit how the ... the trade deadline saw Reilly Smith, Jimmy Vesey and Ryan Lindgren shipped out and Jusso Parsinen ...

What do you get the hockey team that has everything ... They were able to ship off pending UFAs Ryan Lindgren, Reilly Smith and Jimmy Vesey to get back some picks and such they had dealt away.

Dallas is that much better with Rantanen, who at 28 has scored at the seventh-highest playoff point-a-game rate in hockey history ... trading Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey to Colorado, and Reilly ...