Red Wings move closer to play-offs, Oilers hammer Canucks

The Detroit Red Wings took a huge step towards confirming their post-season place with a 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Red Wings are third in the Atlantic Division courtesy of the win, sitting two points clear of the Boston Bruins after 80 games.

The game was the Flyers' 79th of the season and they remain in the wildcard spots on account of having played one less game than the Bruins.

Darren Helm opened the scoring for the Red Wings after seven minutes, 57 seconds in the first period, before Andreas Athanasiou and Kyle Quincey scored in the second and third periods respectively.

Jimmy Howard was in top form in the Red Wings goal, making 30 saves to complete the shutout.

The Edmonton Oilers won the battle of the cellar dwellers as they picked up a 31st win of the season in a 6-2 victory over fellow strugglers the Vancouver Canucks.

Patrick Maroon scored two goals to help the home side to a win to halt a three-game slide.

Despite now having won more games than the Canucks, the Oilers are still below their defeated opponents in the Western Conference, with 69 points to the Canucks' 73.

While the two bottom sides in the West faced off, the same was occurring in the Eastern Conference.

The Columbus Blue Jackets were the winners there, as they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1 on their travels.

Brandon Dubinsky was at the double for the visitors, who claimed a 32nd win of the season.