With just a week to go in the NHL regular season, a couple of key losses over the March 26 weekend may have spelled the end for two Canadian teams.

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost to the Detroit Red Wings on March 26, almost extinguishing their playoff hopes. The Leafs sit five points out of eighth place in the east.

In the west, the Calgary Flames have done all they could this season, but it was too little, too late as key losses all but eliminated the Flames from post-season contention. The Flames, who sit four points out of eighth in the western conference, only have five games remaining this season.

Despite that, two Canadian teams will be in the playoffs. The Vancouver Canucks have clinched top spot in the Western Conference and will get home ice throughout the playoffs. The Canucks currently hold the best record in the NHL. In the east, the Montreal Canadiens are sitting pretty in sixth place. The Habs are not in jeopardy of falling out of the playoffs, and are looking at a firstround match-up with rival Boston Bruins.

The NHL saw some pretty big games, all with playoff implications on the line. With only a threepoint lead over ninth place, the Buffalo Sabres beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-0 to almost solidify their playoff spot.

In the Western Conference, it seems as if every day we are looking at the standings to find out who is in and who is out. The Western Conference's final playoff spot might not be determined until the final day of the regular season.

The NHL picked their three stars, and a former London Knight was among them. Third star of the week from the New York Rangers was Henrik Lundqvist, who went 2-0-1 with two shutouts. The second star was the Anaheim Ducks, Corey Perry, who took over the NHL scoring lead thanks to a big week. Perry scored five goals, leading the Ducks to two wins. The first star of the week is from the eighth-place Buffalo Sabres, Ryan Miller, who went 3-0 and recorded two shutouts. Miller is now just 14 wins shy of the Sabres' franchise record, held by Dominick Hasek.

This week in the NHL, more teams will look to punch their ticket to the post-season, so look for a lot of shootouts and overtime games.