The New York Islanders got a tad bit of help from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night, who defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in overtime.
The New York Islanders got a tad bit of help from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night, who defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in overtime.
The New York Islanders were forced to scoreboard watch for a second straight night.
After waking up on Sunday and Monday morning still holding down the third seed in the Metropolitan Division, it was automatic that they'd wake up in the same spot ahead of their game with the cross-town rival New York Rangers.
Pittsburgh, which started the night two points back of the Islanders, hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In a back-and-forth affair, the game would need overtime, getting the Penguins one point closer, but that's as close as they were able to get for the time being.
With the Penguins getting caught puck-watching, Maple Leafs' superstar Auston Matthews fed defenseman Jake McCabe, who made a quick deke in tight on Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic for the win:
Here's the full-game highlights for those who are interested:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl4qTxX9HPc[/embed]
This result means that if the Islanders can beat the Rangers, they will take a three-point lead over the Penguins.
Building the gap between Pittsburgh is important, but there are three more teams to worry about.
The Detroit Red Wings, who are holding down the second wild-card spot, battle the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, who are a point out of the second wild-card spot and just two points back of the Islanders.
Because the Red Wings can't catch the Islanders if they remain in a top-three Metro spot, a Detroit regulation win on Tuesday night would keep the Capitals four points back of third, depending on the Islanders' results.
The Philadelphia Flyers, who, like Washington, are a point out of a wild-card spot and two points back of the Islanders, battle the Montreal Canadiens.
The difference is that the Flyers have played one more game.
So, if you are keeping track at home: If the Flyers and Capitals both lose in regulation and the Islanders win, Patrick Roy's team will get up on Wednesday with a four-point cushion on Alex Ovechkin and Travis Konecny and a two-point lead on Sidney Crosby.
The Islanders could go to sleep on Wednesday night out of a playoff spot, and that is if the Capitals beat the Red Wings, as Washington has the tie-breaker.
If the Capitals win in overtime, the point the Red Wings would earn would keep them ahead of New York, putting the Islanders on the outside looking in.
With five games to go, the Islanders are in the driver's seat, and they just have to drive.
They are 0-1-1 against the Rangers this season but are currently riding a four-game win streak, and their red-hot goalie, Semyon Varlamov, is back between the pipes for the vital showdown.