Final playoff spot will be locked in today

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs will know later today if they've qualified for the QMJHL playoffs.

The Sea Dogs and Quebec Remparts remain in a fight for the 16th and final spot. Saint John has 49 points while Quebec has 48.

The Sea Dogs will host the Halifax Mooseheads at 4 p.m. at TD Station. Last night, Saint John scored four times in the first period en route to a 5-2 victory. The Remparts will host the Rimouski Oceanic at 5 p.m. at Videotron Centre. Last night in Rimouski, the Remparts, despite being outshot 54-14, almost pulled off an upset but lost 4-3 in overtime.

So what does this all mean for Saint John making the playoffs today? Here are the scenarios:

If Saint John wins (in regulation or extra time): the Remparts would not be able to catch the Sea Dogs, so Saint John would get in.

If Saint John loses in overtime or shootout: the Remparts would only be able to match the Sea Dogs in points. Saint John owns the tiebreaker (regulation wins plus overtime wins), so Saint John would get in.

If Saint John loses in regulation: the Sea Dogs will have to hope the Remparts lose (in either regulation or extra time — it doesn't matter) in order to make the playoffs.

In short: this should be a fun final day of the regular season.

The Mooseheads had several regulars out of their lineup last night due to injuries and also started backup goaltender Jack Milner. Saturday's game doesn't mean much for Halifax.

The Oceanic remain in a fight in the middle of the Eastern Conference for playoff positioning, so today's game does have some meaning.

It's also been confirmed that whoever grabs the final playoff spot — Saint John or Quebec — will face the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the first round. The Voltigeurs clinched the top spot in the Western Conference on Friday, meaning they will take on the west's No. 8 seed in the opening round — which will be either the Sea Dogs or Remparts due to the crossover.

The Volts will be an extremely difficult first round opponent but the matchup does save some significant travel compared to playing the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.