Penguins Playoff Odds Hit 0%; Top Pick Odds Rise

The Pittsburgh Penguins playoff odds are zero.

After hanging on for dear life and even creating the faintest pulse, with a little bit of optimism after a four-game winning streak, the Penguins crashed Tuesday night, giving up four unanswered goals to the New York Islanders in a 4-2 loss at PPG Paints Arena.

As a result, that ever-so-slim 0.2% chance the team could fashion a miracle was gone. According to the Moneypuck playoff odds model, the Penguins hit 0.00%

“We just beat ourselves. We made some mistakes,” said Sidney Crosby. “Obviously, they’re going to push us (at) 2-0, but there just wasn’t a lot of pushback.”

The next up will be the Anaheim Ducks, who are .1%. The Boston Bruins are at a whopping .9% after falling four points out of a playoff spot and having played two extra games.

Despite the four-game winning streak in the rearview mirror, the Penguins are just 5-4-1 in their last 10 games and have joined a dubious list of MoneyPuck castoffs.

The Philadelphia Flyers hit 0.00% over the weekend. The Buffalo Sabres are the only other Eastern Conference team to reach that dreaded zer0.

First Overall Pick

It’s not quite the same as the NHL odds, but the MoneyPuck projections for the first overall pick are interesting. The Penguins have risen to a 7.1% chance for the first overall selection, presumably Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman playing for the Erie Otters.

Seattle is also at 7.1%. The Flyers are at 8.6% in the statistical model, while the San Jose Sharks (22.4%) and Chicago Blackhawks (16.5%) have the highest odds.

The Penguins currently have the seventh overall pick but have the same winning percentage as sixth-place Seattle. However, the Penguins are unlikely to fall any lower than fifth, as they “lead” Philadelphia by two points, and Philadelphia has one game in hand.

The fourth overall selection is currently held by the Buffalo Sabres, who are six points behind with four games in hand.

Officially, the seventh-worst record has a 6.5% chance of winning the NHL lottery and a 6.7% chance of getting the second pick.