Golden Knights, Blues clinch playoff spots with Coyotes' loss to Avalanche

The Vegas Golden Knights and St. Louis Blues officially clinched playoff spots with the Arizona Coyotes' shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.

St. Louis' turnaround is one for the history books, as the team sat dead last in the NHL on Jan. 3. The Blues are 25-9-4 since that date, miraculously salvaging their season and moving within four points of the Central Division lead following Friday's action.

The Blues head back to the playoffs for the seventh time in the last eight years after missing out by a single point last season.

Vegas enjoyed a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Final in its inaugural season, but it won't be a surprise if the league's youngest franchise makes a deep playoff push in its second year.

The Golden Knights have rolled through the competition since adding Mark Stone at the trade deadline, posting a record of 10-4-1.

With the Blues and Golden Knights clinching, only two playoff spots remain up for grabs in the Western Conference.