The Islanders could punch their ticket to the playoffs on Monday.
The Islanders could punch their ticket to the playoffs on Monday.
Despite a disappointing result for the New York Islanders, who lost 3-2 to the cross-town rival New York Rangers in a shootout, that one point allowed them to still have a clinching scenario if two games went their way on Saturday night.
The Islanders had to see the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings in regulation and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Washington Capitals in regulation.
Unfortunately for the Islanders, both results didn't go their way.
The Red Wings beat the Leafs 5-4 in overtime, while the Capitals beat the Lightning 4-2.
The good news for New York is that neither of those results impacted the Islanders' standing spot, as they woke up on Sunday still in third place with a three-point lead over the second wild-card Capitals and the now out-of-a-playoff spot Red Wings.
The Islanders did get a favorable result, with the Pittsburgh Penguins falling to the Boston Bruins 6-4. This keeps Sidney Crosby and Co. four points behind the Islanders and also allows for the Islanders to clinch the third seed on Monday when they head to the Prudential Center to face the New Jersey Devils
Although the Devils are not going to be playoff-bound, they have been anything but an easy opponent for New York this season.
The Islanders are 0-2-1 against the Devils this season, being outscored 14-8, last losing to them 4-0 on March 24.
We will likely find out who will be in the lineup for this critical Monday matchup after Sunday's practice.
Per Islanders statistician Eric Hornick, here are the other ways in which the Islanders can clinch a playoff spot courtesy of his latest "The Skinny":
- IF Isles lose in OT/SO AND Washington loses in any fashion – Isles clinch 3rd in Metro
-IF Isles lose in OT/SO AND Washington wins AND Detroit loses in any fashion – Isles clinch 2nd WC
-If Isles lose in regulation, they would still clinch a playoff spot if AT LEAST two of these things happen:
• Washington loses in regulation
• Detroit loses in regulation
• Pittsburgh loses in any fashion
(If Washington loses in regulation and Pittsburgh loses in any fashion, Isles would clinch 3rd in Metro; otherwise, the Isles would clinch 2nd wild card with this combination.)
There you have it, folks.