Flames scoreboard watching: Predators shut out in Pittsburgh

There wasn't any movement in the standings by teams surrounding the Calgary Flames on Thursday night.

And that's a good thing if you bleed red and gold.

The Flames and the Winnipeg Jets, who sit two points apart in ninth and eighth in the Western Conference standings with seven games each to go, were both idle Thursday.

The 10th-place Nashville Predators, however, did play, and they lost some ground when they were shut out 2-0 by the host Pittsburgh Penguins.

The No. 8 spot is the final playoff position in the conference.

Nashville still has a game in hand on both Calgary and Winnipeg, but with a win or an overtime loss point against Pittsburgh instead, the Predators would've leapfrogged the Flames.

Both the Flames and the Jets return to action tomorrow night when Calgary visits the Vancouver Canucks (8 p.m.) and Winnipeg hosts the Detroit Red Wings.

The West's first wildcard holder, the seventh-place Seattle Kraken, pulled five points clear of the Jets with a 4-1 win last night over the Anaheim Ducks.

In other Pacific Division action Thursday, the Edmonton Oilers blanked the visiting Los Angeles Kings 2-0. In the NHL nightcap, the San Jose Sharks and the Vegas Golden Knights were tied 3-3 halfway through the third period.