The Penguins clinched a playoff spot with Friday's 5-2 win over the Devils, and the Flyers loss to the Red Wings ensured that the Penguins clinched the No. 2 seed in the division and will have home ice for whoever they face in the first round.
Which team will that be, exactly? It's not clear. Here's where things stand in the race, with their first-round opponent being whoever finishes third:
That's three points separating the Flyers, Islanders, Blue Jackets and Capitals, all with three games remaining on the schedule. Regulation wins (in the 'RW" column) is the first tiebreaker. Next comes regulation plus overtime wins (in the 'ROW') column, and if still tied after that, comes total wins (the 'W' column).
It's going to come down to the wire. The Capitals, though at the bottom of the race, would have the tiebreaker over any of those teams. Two of their three remaining games are against the Penguins, for whom the games are now meaningless in the division race.
Here's the remaining schedules for those four potential opponents:
FLYERS April 11: Jets (away) April 13: Hurricanes (home) April 14: Canadiens (home)
BLUE JACKETS April 11: Canadiens (away) April 12: Bruins (home) April 14: Capitals (home)
ISLANDERS April 11: Senators (home) April 12: Canadiens (home) April 14: Hurricanes (home)
CAPITALS April 11: Penguins (away) April 12: Penguins (home) April 14: Blue Jackets (away)
It could be any of those teams, and it's a race that'll likely come down to the wire.
The Penguins aren't looking that far ahead yet, though. They have three more games they want to win.
"I think you want to focus on finishing the season strong," Sidney Crosby said. "That's a big thing, and then kind of let that sort itself out. I'm sure we'll be watching closely, and obviously we want to prepare and make sure we're ready."
THE ASYLUM
Who’ll be first-round opponent?
The Penguins clinched a playoff spot with Friday's 5-2 win over the Devils, and the Flyers loss to the Red Wings ensured that the Penguins clinched the No. 2 seed in the division and will have home ice for whoever they face in the first round.
Which team will that be, exactly? It's not clear. Here's where things stand in the race, with their first-round opponent being whoever finishes third:
That's three points separating the Flyers, Islanders, Blue Jackets and Capitals, all with three games remaining on the schedule. Regulation wins (in the 'RW" column) is the first tiebreaker. Next comes regulation plus overtime wins (in the 'ROW') column, and if still tied after that, comes total wins (the 'W' column).
It's going to come down to the wire. The Capitals, though at the bottom of the race, would have the tiebreaker over any of those teams. Two of their three remaining games are against the Penguins, for whom the games are now meaningless in the division race.
Here's the remaining schedules for those four potential opponents:
FLYERS
April 11: Jets (away)
April 13: Hurricanes (home)
April 14: Canadiens (home)
BLUE JACKETS
April 11: Canadiens (away)
April 12: Bruins (home)
April 14: Capitals (home)
ISLANDERS
April 11: Senators (home)
April 12: Canadiens (home)
April 14: Hurricanes (home)
CAPITALS
April 11: Penguins (away)
April 12: Penguins (home)
April 14: Blue Jackets (away)
It could be any of those teams, and it's a race that'll likely come down to the wire.
The Penguins aren't looking that far ahead yet, though. They have three more games they want to win.
"I think you want to focus on finishing the season strong," Sidney Crosby said. "That's a big thing, and then kind of let that sort itself out. I'm sure we'll be watching closely, and obviously we want to prepare and make sure we're ready."
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits!
We’d love to have you!