That being said the news surrounding the status of Andersen - who left Saturday's game with an undisclosed injury - appears good as Babcock stated he showed 'no symptoms of a concussion.'
According to Babcock, Andersen should be well enough to return to practice on Monday and is expected to start Game 1 of the playoffs.
The 27-year-old was forced from Saturday night's playoff-cliching game midway through the second period after a collision with Pittsburgh Penguins forward Tom Sestito.
Jets winger Mathieu Perreault didn't shy away from discussing his team's glaring weakness between the pipes.
"There’s no team making the playoffs that isn’t getting saves so we are going to definitely need some saves too," Perreault told Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun.
Well, the cat's out of the bag. He isn't wrong, though.
The Jets have a team save percentage of just .900, which ties them for the third-worst in the NHL. Between Connor Hellebuyck, Michael Hutchinson, Ondrej Pavelec, and Eric Comrie, nobody was able to solidify the Jets' play between the pipes.
The Jets only allowed the 13th-most scoring chances against per 60 minutes at five-on-five this season, per Corsica.Hockey. Even though they were average at preventing scoring chances, they allowed the NHL's fourth-most goals.
For the first time since the 2005-06 season, the Sedin twins won't finish first and second on the Canucks in scoring.
Bo Horvat leads the squad with 51 points, while Henrik Sedin sits right behind him with 50 and Daniel clocks in with 43. Though the Sedins likely have no issue passing the torch to a youngster like Horvat, their own production is something with which they can't live.
"There's no doubt in my mind we'll put up better numbers next year," Henrik told Jeff Paterson of TSN 1040. "We'll have to prove a lot of people wrong."
That they will.
If the Sedins fail to pick up a point in Vancouver's final game, their combined point total will sit at 93, which would be their lowest since the 2002-03 (excluding 2012-13's lockout-shortened season).
Age won't favor the twins, as they turn 37 on Sept. 26. Their own decline is a major reason for their regression, but the club hasn't been able to find a stable linemate for them this season.
The Loui Eriksson experiment failed miserably. Head coach Willie Desjardins tried putting veteran Jannik Hansen on their right wing before he was dealt to San Jose. He has also fiddled with youngsters like Markus Granlund, Michael Chaput, and Nikolay Goldobin in that role. Nothing has worked. Maybe Anson Carter would come out of retirement?
The Sedins will be unrestricted free agents following the 2017-18 season, so if they fail to bounce back next season, it wouldn't be surprising if they called it quits.
Saturday marked an emotional conclusion to the regular season for Shane Doan.
The Arizona Coyotes captain picked up an assist in a 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild, but after the game remained undecided if the contest was his last in the NHL.
"I love the game. I love to play, and I want to keep playing," Doan said, according to Sarah McLellan of azcentral sports. "But I also gotta understand things move on and it's sometimes better to leave when people think you can still play.
"Other times it’s better to play until they drag it off your back. I go back and forth on that."
Doan wasn't the only player dealing with the emotions, which Wild forward - and Doan's former teammate - Martin Haznal admitted.
"I was a little emotional," he said. "Spent some time here."
Hanzal gave Doan a big hug as the game concluded, an indication what his former captain means to him.
"I just said I love him," Hanzal said. "That’s it."
Postgame, Doan admitted his plans have changed several times over the last few weeks, making it clear his future is still up in the air.
Whether Saturday was Doan's curtain call, there's no arguing that the 40-year-old has had an outstanding career as he holds the franchise lead in games played, goals, assists, and points.
Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock was pretty candid when speaking about his 19-year-old rookie sensation and No. 1 center Auston Matthews.
"Obviously he is a special talent. More importantly, Matthews is a special person," Babcock told Sportsnet's Chris Johnston. "That's going to allow him to be a good leader because he does it right every day. In the end, that'll allow him to drive a franchise and it'll allow him to win."
The Maple Leafs, of course, clinched their first playoff spot since 2012-13 - and their first in a full 82-game season since 2003-04 - with a 5-3 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday night.
Matthews potted his 40th goal of the season in the closing seconds of the game on an empty net. He has been remarkably consistent for the Leafs all season long, as the only player in the league to record a shot on net in every single game his team has played. He also been exceptional down the stretch, recording nine goals and five assists in his last 12 games.
Yet, what's perhaps most impressive is that Matthews was able to a lead a rookie-filled team to the playoffs after the Leafs finished dead last in the NHL a year ago.
With regards to the captaincy, Matthews is the obvious choice. It's seemingly more of a question of when rather than if.
Aside from all of his on-ice accomplishments, Matthews carries himself differently than most 19-year-olds. He has displayed impressive maturity in his handling of the media, which is never an easy thing to do in the hockey-crazed Toronto market.
If Matthews does end up being named captain to begin next season, he would be the first Maple Leaf to don the "C" since Dion Phaneuf, who was the Leafs captain from 2010-2016.
The night featured players wearing jerseys during warm-up that read "Bob" and No. 44 - representing his 44 years as the King's broadcaster. Fans were also given signs simply reading "Thank you Bob."
Along with the numerous well wishes sent Miller's way, it was a great send off, but nothing like what the Kings themselves gifted Miller.
The club scored in the final minute of regulation to tie the game at 2-2, sending the game to overtime. There, Drew Doughty played the role of hero, scoring the overtime winner to cap off the Kings home schedule and Miller's final call from the Staples Center.
There's just one more 10-game slate before the Stanley Cup Playoffs, kids, and here's what you need to know about the finish line.
Mission 100
Edmonton Oilers phenom and soon-to-be-crowned Art Ross Trophy champion Connor McDavid picked up an assist Saturday night against the Canucks to give him 98 points on the season.
The 20-year-old is riding a 13-game point streak (seven goals, 16 assists) and needs two more points to hit the century mark in only his second campaign in the NHL. Kid's good.
The good news: McDavid's Oilers are up against the Canucks again, this time at home.
Prediction: He's hitting 100. Probably 101. It's Vancouver, after all.
Capitals or Senators?
The Toronto Maple Leafs clinched a playoff berth - there's something you don't write every year - with a game to spare, but No. 82 matters. Like, a lot.
A Toronto win or overtime/shootout loss Sunday means the Maple Leafs finish third in the Atlantic Division, setting up another postseason series with the Ottawa Senators, their provincial rivals.
Fact: Toronto has never lost to Ottawa in the playoffs.
Columbus has lost six in a row. It wants and needs to stop the bleeding before Game 1 on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins. And while a playoff spot ensures the Maple Leafs' season is a success, Toronto must avoid Washington at all costs if it wants to do something special - why not? - with its spring.
There's more: Toronto's No. 1 goalie Frederik Andersen's status is up in the air after he was Tom Sestito'd Saturday. It may be Curtis McElhinney against the team that waived him earlier this season. That enough drama for you?
Sun sets on the Pacific
The Pacific Division is still up for grabs as the sun sets on the regular season.
Not only is young McDavid going for 100 points, he's looking for another win.
Here's the deal: If the Oilers win in any fashion and the Anaheim Ducks lose to the Los Angeles Kings in regulation, Edmonton wins the Pacific and gets the Calgary Flames at home in the first round. (Yes, please!)
If Anaheim gets a point, it wins the Pacific for the fifth straight season and gets the Flames, meaning an Oilers-San Jose Sharks first-round series.
There's a bloody lot to play for Sunday.
So long, Joe Louis
The Detroit Red Wings would have preferred to say goodbye to Joe Louis Arena during the postseason, but everything ends, even 25-year playoff streaks.
Sunday is the final game at iconic Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, and, sorry PETA, there will be octopuses. The Red Wings are moving to Little Caesars Arena next season.
The Devils are in town. A favor, if we may, New Jersey: Please let Riley Sheahan score. The 25-year-old is goalless through 79 games. He's put 106 pucks on net. We know the hockey gods are unfair, but this is now bordering on cruel.
Wouldn't it be something if Sheahan scored the final goal at the Joe?
Zetterberg's 1,000th
A little more intrigue to the Joe Louis finale.
Sunday's affair is Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg's 1,000th regular-season game. The Swede, drafted a remarkable 210th overall in 1999, is a Stanley Cup champion, the face of the Red Wings and everything they stand for, and the pride of the red and white. How's that for timing?
"I couldn't have picked a better game to have my 1,000th," Zetterberg said, according to MLive.com's Ansar Khan. And we wholeheartedly agree.
Detroit and its exceptional captain deserve a win as the curtain falls on its storied barn. Sorry, New Jersey, it's nothing personal, and surely you understand.
Goodbyes
Bryan Bickell plays his final NHL game Sunday, his career over after a multiple sclerosis diagnosis last November. He'll be remembered as a champion, and a fighter.
The Colorado Avalanche play Game 82 on Sunday, and thank god for that. What a disaster. The best - we use the term as lightly as possible - the club can do is finish with 50 points. Fifty! Keep Jared Bednar in your thoughts this offseason.
Say it ain't so, Jarome. Sunday could also be Jarome Iginla's final game in the NHL, though we refuse to believe that's the case. While he was mercifully traded by Colorado at the deadline, it was unfortunately to Los Angeles, on the outside of the playoff picture. It should have been you, Calgary.
Enjoy the final day of the regular season. The best is yet to come.
The Oilers will begin their quest for the Stanley Cup in Edmonton.
With a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, the Oilers assured themselves at worst a second-place finish in the Pacific Division. They can still win the division, provided they beat Vancouver again Sunday and the Anaheim Ducks lose in regulation to the Los Angeles Kings.
The Oilers and Ducks head into Game 82 with 42 regulation and/or overtime wins apiece, which account for the first tiebreaker. Edmonton has the head-to-head advantage.
The San Jose Sharks won their final game of the season Saturday, 3-1 over the Calgary Flames, and last year's Stanley Cup finalists will head into the postseason in third place in the Pacific. They'll be watching some hockey on TV on Sunday.
Calgary's locked into the Western Conference's first wild-card spot, and they await the winner of the Pacific. They've also got a date with a TV on Sunday night.
