Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash could have tied more than a personal record last night as he skated with powerful strides behind the Minnesota Wild defense and toward goaltender Josh Harding

Nash had a chance to tie the score at 3 midway through the third period, but he said his stick was slashed by Wild forward James Sheppard while he was releasing a wrist shot. The attempt sailed wide left and the Wild cruised to a 6-3 win in Nationwide Arena.

"He slashed my stick and I couldn't get a clean shot off," Nash said. "I thought it should have been a penalty. I've seen that called 30 times this season, especially when you can't get a shot off."

Coach Ken Hitchcock agreed, going so far as to say the infraction might have warranted a penalty shot. Had the Jackets tied it and forced overtime, they would have earned a point to secure sixth place in the Western Conference.

NHL officials have been cracking down on slashes across a puck-carrier's stick this season. But the stick usually has to be broken or knocked from the player's hand. That was not the case.

Nash opened the scoring with his 40th goal, one shy of his season record set in the 2003-04 season.

Neither Nash nor Hitchcock blamed the loss, in which the Jackets squandered a 2-0 lead, on what they thought was a missed call.

Brassard update

Rookie center Derick Brassard will have his surgically repaired right shoulder examined by a Cleveland Clinic doctor Wednesday in hopes of receiving medical clearance to resume playing. He said he would need at minimum two or three full-contact practices and could not return unless he was 100 percent.

General manager Scott Howson appreciates Brassard's optimism, but said he is sticking by a May 1 return date until doctors tell him otherwise.

Murray injured

Forward Andrew Murray suffered a right hamstring injury and left the arena on crutches. He played only one shift in the second period and didn't return. Hitchcock said Murray would likely be lost for at least the first two games of the Blue Jackets' first-round playoff series.

Lemaire steps down

Wild coach Jacques Lemaire announced his resignation after the game. Lemaire, who won a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 1995, has been the Wild's only coach in its eight-year existence.

"There comes a time when you know it's the right time to go," Lemaire said.

He left the door open to coaching elsewhere.

Slap shots

Winger Kristian Huselius (concussion symptoms) skated again and expects to be ready for the playoff opener. Center Michael Peca did not play last night. Hitchcock said only that Peca was given the day off.

treed@dispatch.com