The 82nd and final game of the regular season can be looked at as both important and irrelevant. Both the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks have made the playoffs. The Blackhawks will start at home; the Red Wings will start on the road.
But each team can adjust their playoff seedings depending on how this game, in addition to the Los Angeles Kings game against the Colorado Avalanche starting at the same time, turns out. If Chicago wins, they take the #1 seed away from San Jose on the wins tiebreaker.
For the Red Wings, they simply need to win to take the 5th seed. Anything else and their outcome depends on the Kings/Avs game. See the chart below.
| DET W | DET OTL | DET L | |
| LA W | 5th vs PHO | 6th vs VAN | 7th vs SJ |
| LA OTL | 5th vs PHO | 5th vs PHO | 7th vs SJ |
| LA L | 5th vs PHO | 5th vs PHO | 6th vs VAN |
Faceoff is set for 3:00 pm ET. The game is on Fox Sports Detroit and Comcast Sportsnet Chicago. Comment away below.