By Taylor Lupetti (@tayclupetti ):
The San Jose Sharks went into their final regulation game of the season looking for a crucial win against the Minnesota Wild.
A 6-3 loss not only demoted them to No. 3 in the Pacific Division, but lost the team’s home-ice advantage in the first round of The Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Minnesota (45-26-11) gained a two-goal lead in the first period with goals from defenseman Jonas Brodin and center Matt Cullen.
San Jose (45-27-10) quickly retaliated less than a minute after Cullen’s goal with back-to-back goals from defenseman Brent Burns and captain, right-wing forward Joe Pavelski.
The two goals sent the teams into the second period tied at two.
The Sharks didn’t see any goals in the second frame but watched three fly past goaltender Martin Jones. Jones was replaced by Aaron Dell after allowing five goals on 19 shots.
Minnesota held a 5-2 lead as the game headed into the final period of regular season.
The Sharks scored their last goal of the night from right-wing forward Timo Meier’s goal in the final two minutes of the third period.
An empty-netter by Minnesota Center Eric Staal sealed the fate of playoff positions for both teams.
The loss earned the Sharks the first wild card in the playoffs where they will face the Anaheim Ducks, a team they did not lose to in four games this season at 3-0-1.
The date and time of the first game is still to be determined.