DENVER -- Minnesota Wild coach Mike Yeo has called Saturday's regular-season finale against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center a "Game 7," and with good reason. The Wild would secure a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a win, but they would miss out with a regulation loss if the Columbus Blue Jackets win or gain a point in their home game with the Nashville Predators.

If the Wild and Blue Jackets finish tied in the standings -- each has 53 points -- Minnesota makes it to the postseason because it holds the tiebreaker with Columbus. The Wild also could move from eighth place in the Western Conference to seventh, depending how the Detroit Red Wings, who have 54 points, fare in their game at the Dallas Stars.

Goalie Niklas Backstrom is expected to start for the Wild despite getting pulled after allowing three goals on five shots in the first period Friday in a 6-1 home loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Backstrom has gone 10-2-1 with a 2.10 goals-against average and .935 save percentage in his past 13 games in Denver, where the Wild have gone 11-2-2 in their past 15 visits.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that the Wild were expected to recall forwards Jason Zucker and Stephane Veilleux from the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League and return Jake Dowell and Carson McMillan.

Each team played Friday -- the Avalanche pulled out a 5-4 shootout win at the Phoenix Coyotes -- and neither skated Saturday morning.

Here are the projected lineups:

DENVER – Here are the projected lineups for Sunday’s game between the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center:

BLUES

Alexander Steen – David Backes – David Perron

Andy McDonald – Vladimir Sobotka – Chris Stewart

Dmitrij Jaskin – Patrik Berglund – Vladimir Tarasenko

Jaden Schwartz – Chris Porter – Ryan Reaves

Jay Bouwmeester – Alex Pietrangelo

Jordan Leopold – Kevin Shattenkirk

Barret Jackman – Roman Polak

Brian Elliott

Jake Allen

Scratched: Adam Cracknell, Ian Cole, Jaroslav Halak, Andrew Murray, Scott Nichol, Kris Russell

Injured: Jamie Langenbrunner (hip), T.J. Oshie (ankle)

AVALANCHE

John Mitchell – Matt Duchene – PA Parenteau

Cody McLeod – Ryan O’Reilly -- Gabriel Landeskog

Jamie McGinn – Paul Stastny – Aaron Palushaj

Patrick Bordeleau – Mark Olver -- Chuck Kobasew

Greg Zanon – Tyson Barrie

Jan Hejda – Stefan Elliott

Matt Hunwick – Shane O’Brien

Jean-Sebastien Giguere

Semyon Varlamov

Scratched: David Jones, Milan Hejduk

Injured: Steve Downie (knee), Erik Johnson (wrist), Ryan Wilson (ankle)

DENVER -- Right wing Milan Hejduk will return to the Colorado Avalanche lineup Friday against the Edmonton Oilers after missing nine games, five with a torso injury and the past four as a healthy scratch.

Avalanche coach Joe Sakic said he hadn't decided where Hejduk would play or who he would replace.

"He'll probably get some power-play time and he may bounce around a little bit with some different line combinations," Sacco said.

Goalie Semyon Varlamov will start for the first time since the Avalanche's 4-0 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes on April 6. He missed four games with hip and groin injuries and dressed as the backup for Jean-Sebastien Giguere in Monday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Goalie Devan Dubnyk will start for the Oilers. Dubnyk made 35 saves in a 4-0 win against the Avalanche on March 12. He has a 6-3-1 record with a 2.03 goals-against average and .940 save percentage in 10 career decisions against Colorado.

Here are the projected lineups for Friday's game:

DENVER -- Colorado Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov has recovered from a hip injury that caused him to miss three games, so the team on Monday reassigned rookie goalie Sami Aittokallio to the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League.

Varlamov will dress as Jean-Sebastien Giguere's backup Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Center Chuck Kobasew will replace Mark Olver on the fourth line. Kobasew missed eight games with a back injury.

For the Blue Jackets, Brandon Dubinsky will move from left wing to center on the second line, replacing injured center Artem Anisimov. Anisimov is listed as day-to-day after sustaining a head injury on a hit from the Minnesota Wild's Charlie Coyle in the first period Saturday in the Blue Jackets' 3-2 shootout win. Blake Comeau, who was a healthy scratch the past two games, will play left wing on the fourth line.

Here are the projected lineups for Monday's game:

DENVER -- The Calgary Flames recalled left wing Sven Baertschi from the Abbotsford Heat of the American Hockey League on Sunday and he is expected to play Monday against the Colorado Avalanche.

Baertschi, 20, had one assist in 10 previous games with the Flames this season. He was the Flames' No. 1 pick in the 2011 NHL Draft and had 10 goals and 15 assists in 31 games for Abbotsford.

On the other side, right wing David Jones will return to the Avalanche lineup after missing eight games with a knee injury. Jones has struggled this season with just three goals in 27 games. He has gone 10 games without a point.

Here are the projected lineups for Monday's game:

DENVER -- The Detroit Red Wings will have a different look on defense Friday night when they meet the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center. Kyle Quincey is expected to play after missing nine games with a fractured cheekbone, and Danny Dekeyser will make his NHL debut after playing three seasons at Western Michigan University.

Quincey, 27, who was injured in a March 15 game against the Edmonton Oilers, has one goal and one assist in 26 games. Dekeyser, 22, signed a two-year contract with the Red Wings on March 30. He was Western Michigan's captain this season and had two goals and 13 assists in 35 games.

Here are the projected lineups for Friday's game between the Red Wings and Avalanche:

DENVER -- Colorado Avalanche coach Joe Sacco is shaking up the lineup for the game Wednesday against the Dallas Stars at Pepsi Center, scratching healthy forwards David Jones and Jamie McGinn.

Jones has gone nine games without a point, and has three goals, four assists and a minus-10 rating in 26 games. McGinn has gone five games without a point, and has one goal and one assist in 14 games despite playing on the Avalanche's top line with Matt Duchene and PA Parenteau. McGinn has four goals, nine assists and a minus-10 rating in 28 games.

DENVER -- Here are the projected lineups for the game between the Chicago Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche on Monday at Pepsi Center.

BLACKHAWKS

Brandon Saad - Jonathan Toews - Marian Hossa

Jimmy Hayes - Dave Bolland - Patrick Kane

Bryan Bickell - Andrew Shaw - Viktor Stalberg

Brandon Bollig - Marcus Kruger - Michael Frolik

Duncan Keith - Brent Seabrook

Niklas Hjalmarsson - Johnny Oduya

Nick Leddy - Michal Rozsival

Ray Emery

Corey Crawford

DENVER -- The Colorado Avalanche announced Tuesday night that defenseman Tyson Barrie has been assigned to Lake Erie of the American Hockey League, which could pave the way for right wing Milan Hejduk to be activated from injured reserve.

Hejduk will miss his fifth consecutive game Tuesday night because of a torso injury when the Avalanche play the Edmonton Oilers at Pepsi Center. Hejduk took part in the morning skate Tuesday and is expected to practice Wednesday.

DENVER -- Devan Dubnyk will start in goal for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche.

He left the Oilers' game Sunday at the Chicago Blackhawks in the second period because of a sore neck following a collision with teammate Teemu Hartikainen after stopping the Blackhawks' Marian Hossa on a breakaway.

Dubnyk is 5-3-1 with a 2.24 goals-against average in 10 games against Colorado. The Oilers are 2-4-2 in the first eight games of their current nine-game trip which started Feb. 25 with a 3-2 overtime loss in Chicago.

Colorado right wing Milan Hejduk took part in the morning skate Tuesday and is expected to practice Wednesday. Hejduk is on injured reserve with a torso injury. He will miss his fifth consecutive game Tuesday, might be available for the Avs' game Thursday at the Minnesota Wild.

Here are the projected lineups for the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche for their game Tuesday at Pepsi Center: