Ducks secure play-off berth, Wild smash Flames

Omnisports

March 25, 2016 5:23 AM

Not even a loss could deny the Anaheim Ducks a play-off berth.

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Not even a loss could deny the Anaheim Ducks a play-off berth.

The Ducks lost 6-5 in overtime against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but the point gained was enough to secure them their spot in the play-offs for the fourth consecutive year.

They were made to work for the crucial point as well, having trailed the Maple Leafs 4-1 before moving into a 5-4 lead.

Toronto's Connor Brown forced overtime when he scored his first NHL goal with just over four minutes left in the final period, before Nazem Kadri won it just 41 seconds into overtime.

Despite the loss, Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf was delighted to make the post-season once again, but was disheartened by the way his team were playing.

"We didn't play a good hockey game tonight," he said.

"It's a concern. I don't want to say we're not competing, but we're not executing and we're not up to the pace of the play. We're holding onto the puck too long and we're giving up four goals, five goals, three goals … way too many goals against to compete in this league."

It was a night to remember for Zach Parise as his hat-trick fired the Minnesota Wild to an important 6-2 win over the Calgary Flames to keep them in the lead for the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference.

The Philadelphia Flyers relied on late goals from Radko Gudas and Claude Giroux, who scored 19 seconds apart to help their side to a 4-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche to keep hold of the second wildcard spot in the east.

Elsewhere, the Florida Panthers enjoyed a 4-1 triumph over the Boston Bruins, the New Jersey Devils thrashed the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0, the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 and the Edmonton Oilers crushed the San Jose Sharks 6-3.

There were also wins for the Arizona Coyotes, who beat the Dallas Stars 3-1 at home, while the Winnipeg Jets picked up their 31st win of the season by beating the Los Angeles Kings 4-1.

The Nashville Predators edged the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 and the Montreal Canadiens lost out to the Detroit Red Wings in a 4-3 thriller.

Omnisports

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