Latest Penguins Playoff Scenario: Red Wings Nudge Ahead, Caps Falter

It was a fun 24 hours. The Pittsburgh Penguins’ remarkable eight-game points streak put them in a playoff position on Saturday, but Sunday, one team took it away.

The Buffalo Sabres were no help to the Penguins, as the Detroit Red Wings handled them 3-1 at Little Caesars Arena. Detroit’s victory is only its second in the last seven games. All of its goals were scored in the first period.

Read More (Detroit Hockey Now): Red Wings Take Big Step Toward Playoffs with Win over Sabres.

The win moved Detroit one point ahead of the Penguins for the second wild card spot, 84-83. Both teams have five games remaining. The win was also Detroit’s 27th regulation win (RW), meaning they still significantly trail the Penguins in the first tiebreaker. The Penguins have 31 regulation wins.

However, the Penguins received a little bit of help Sunday. The Washington Capitals blew a third-period lead to the Ottawa Senators, losing 3-2 in overtime. The Capitals earned a point, so they are tied with the Penguins, but the Penguins own the tiebreaker.

With the OT loss, the Capitals goal differential fell to minus-41. That has no bearing on the playoff race with the Penguins other than it’s astoundingly bad for a team in a playoff race.

The Penguins trail the New York Islanders by two points for the third-place in the Metro Division and the teams will square off in the final game of the regular season.

Remaining Schedules

The Penguins face five playoff teams (counting Detroit) and have the most difficult path by far. Detroit finishes with the bottom-feeding Montreal Canadiens in a home-and-home, while Washington has softies in Buffalo and Philadelphia on the docket. Penguins fans might be forced to route for the Philadelphia Flyers to play the spoiler in the final game of the season.

Penguins: @Toronto, Detroit, Boston, Nashville @NYI

Detroit: Washington, @Penguins, @Toronto, Montreal, @Montreal

Washington: @Detroit, @Buffalo, Tampa Bay, Boston, @Philadelphia