After their 3-0 win over the Minnesota Wild, the Dallas Stars finished the regular season in the first Wild Card position in the Western Conference. At the same time that game was going on, everyone had an eye towards the Nashville Predators game, as the St. Louis Blues had jumped into first in the Central by a point and the top three in the Central Division was very much up for grabs.
Nashville got the job done by beating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 and taking first in the West, solidifying a Winter Classic spring matchup with the Stars and shifting the second Wild Card Colorado Avalanche into the Pacific Division side of the bracket.