As of Dec. 6, the Minnesota Wild were 18-4-4 and atop the NHL standings. Fast-forward to Thursday, and they have a tenuous hold on a wild-card position in the Western Conference. Is the Wild's playoff future in peril?

The NHL regular season will end on April 17. One team has clinched a playoff berth. A closer look at the races:

That includes 2-for-27 (7.4%) over their last nine games. The Islanders, who open a road back-to-back against the Lightning on Saturday afternoon before facing the Hurricanes 27 hours later, went 0-for-2 with just one shot on the power play in Wednesday night’s very disappointing 5-2 loss to the Canucks to conclude a four-game stand at UBS Arena.