A four-game losing streak has done no favors for the Pittsburgh Penguins and their chances at a postseason berth.
With a losing streak at four games and set to face two of the top teams in the Western Conference in back-to-back nights, things aren’t going well for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Not only have things started to look really bleak, but the Penguins postseason odds have mirrored that.
The Florida Panthers have overtaken them in the Eastern Conference wild card, while the New York Islanders extended their lead in the running.
With the Penguins on the outside looking in, they odds to reach the postseason have dipped below half at 43.1%, according to moneypuck.com.
The Panthers over took the Penguins in odds earlier this week, but have extended their lead to 73.8%.
The Islanders have long been leaders on the wild card race in the standings, but thanks to consistently being multiple games up on opponents, their postseason odds were always struggling.
Thanks to a big win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Islanders now lead in percentages with 81.7%.
In the true rankings, the Penguins (78) are one point behind the Panthers (79) with a game in hand; but, you have to win those games to make them count, and the Penguins have had a tough time winning recently.
The Islanders (82) now sit four points up of the Penguins, but still have two extra games played.
Every game is a new opportunity for the Penguins, but they need to take as many points as possible in their 12 remaining games.
The hunt for the Eastern Conference wild card has slimmed to a three team race, but one hot streak coupled with a continued downspell and one of four more teams could crawl back in at the last moment.
The Buffalo Sabres (.7%), Washington Capitals (.4%), Ottawa Senators (.4%), and Detroit Red Wings (.1%) all sit below a percentage point of making the postseason, but they’re not out of the race just yet.
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