If the Islanders can beat the Ducks, they'll wake up on Monday morning in a playoff spot.
ANAHEIM, CA -- The New York Islanders are back in action today as they battle the Anaheim Ducks at 8 PM ET.
After defeating the San Jose Sharks 7-2 on Thursday night, the Islanders moved within striking distance of third place in the Metropolitan Division and both wild-card spots.
Based on the results from the last two days, the Islanders can find themselves holding down a wild-card spot if they take care of business in Anaheim.
On Friday night, the now-second-wild-card Detroit Red Wings were shut out by the Arizona Coyotes 4-0. They then lost 5-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights.
A failure to earn a point in two straight games now has the Islanders two points back with two games in hand.
Saturday also saw the wild-card Tampa Bay Lightning battle the Philadelphia Flyers, who hold down the third seed in the Metropolitan Division.
And a win the Lightning got, destroying Philadelphia 7-0.
For the Islanders, it ultimately didn't matter who won this game, as long as it didn't go into overtime, but with Detroit losing, a Lightning win worked best.
Now, the Islanders, with a win over Anaheim, could leapfrog the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday and find themselves sitting in the second wild-card spot with games in hand.
The Islanders haven't been in control of their own destiny since they've been playing catch-up most of the season.
But if the Islanders do beat the Ducks, they'll finally control their own fate, which means they will have no one but themselves to blame if they miss out on the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.