The Pittsburgh Penguins keep their slim playoff hopes alive with another big win.

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins kept their playoff hopes alive after a stunning win over one of the top teams in the NHL. With a 5-2 victory over the New York Rangers, the Penguins saw their odds to reach the postseason take a nice step forward.

According to moneypuck.com, the Penguins now have an 8.2% chance of reaching the postseason. The Penguins still have a ton of ground to make up, but they are in a much better position than last week when their odds bottomed out at 1.3%.

The tests will be immediate for the Penguins, too, as they continue their road trip with a stop against the New Jersey Devils in the second half of a back-to-back. The Penguins leapfrogged the Devils in the standings with their win over the Rangers, but New Jersey hasn’t been kind to the Penguins in recent years.

The Devils enter the contest with a 6.5% chance of reaching the postseason.

The race for the Eastern Conference playoff spots has gotten interesting as no one wants to stick in position. The Philadelphia Flyers (63.1%) recently lost their third spot in the Metropolitan Division but got it back after losing in overtime to the New York Islanders (13.8%).

The Washington Capitals (67.4%) might just make the playoffs after all, despite a minus-31 goal differential. They sit in the second wild card spot with three games in hand on the Flyers.

After a good run in the wild card, the Detroit Red Wings (40.5%) have a lot of ground to make up after slipping from their spot. A seven-game losing streak to kick off March did them no favors.

The Penguins are five points out of a playoff spot with eight games remaining in the season. These are eight of the most demanding games on their schedule, with a few contests against most of the teams mentioned above.

It’s unlikely, but still possible that the Penguins will make a miraculous run to the playoffs.

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