NHL playoff picture: Blackhawks fail to gain ground, Flames settle for single point

The Chicago Blackhawks lost to the Philadelphia Flyers and failed to inch closer to the Nashville Predators, while the Calgary Flames salvaged a single point in a shootout loss to the Dallas Stars.

Here's a look at how the playoff picture looks after a three-game slate on Wednesday night:

Eastern Conference

Atlantic

The Atlantic Division remains unchanged after Wednesday's action, with the Montreal Canadiens and their 100 points still leading the NHL.

Metropolitan

The Flyers beat the Blackhawks 4-1, but lost Wayne Simmonds and Andrew MacDonald for the rest of the regular season to injuries.

Wild Card

The Flyers earned a big win, but they still trail the Ottawa Senators by nine points in the wild-card race. The Senators have three games in hand on the Flyers, and one game on the Boston Bruins (84 points) and Florida Panthers (80).

Current Matchups

Montreal (A1) vs. Ottawa (W2)

Tampa Bay (A2) vs. Detroit (A3)

New York Rangers (M1) vs. Washington (W1)

New York Islanders (M2) vs. Pittsburgh (M3)

Western Conference

Central 

The Blackhawks fell to the Flyers and missed an opportunity to get within two points of the Predators, although Chicago still has a game in hand on both Nashville and the St. Louis Blues.

Pacific

The Flames moved to within three points of the idle Vancouver Canucks by picking up a single point.

Wild Card

The two teams in position for the Western Conference wild-card berths were idle Wednesday. The Stars moved to within six points of the Winnipeg Jets with their win over the Flames.

Current Matchups

St. Louis (C1) vs. Winnipeg (W2)

Nashville (C2) vs. Chicago (C3)

Anaheim (P1) vs. Minnesota (W1)

Vancouver (P2) vs. Calgary (P3)

Race for Last

The Edmonton Oilers earned a 4-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche, moving them three points clear of the idle Arizona Coyotes and eight points ahead of the Buffalo Sabres.