The Wild were 21-10-4 before his prolonged time on the shelf and 3-1-0 upon his return in April. Matt Boldy stepped up in his teammate's absence and ended up leading the team in goals (27), assists (46) and points (73), but it's a much better team with both of them rather than one.

Which eight teams will advance to the second round of the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs? USA TODAY weighs in with first-round predictions.

The Wings are currently 12th in the draft lottery order, with 83 points and 29 regulation wins, and can move up as high as 10th (if the Islanders win Thursday, and they lose their next two games). Like the Hurricanes, the Devils have been locked in their playoff position for a while now, and it is Carolina against whom they match up in Round 1.