Final Stanley Cup Playoff spot in Eastern Conference debated

The race for the second wild card from the Eastern Conference remains the most interesting battle as the season enters its final week.

With the New York Islanders (37-27-15) taking hold, albeit temporarily, of third place in the Metropolitan Division, there are four teams jostling for wild card positioning.

The Pittsburgh Penguins (37-30-12) occupy the spot at the moment, with 86 points. The Washington Capitals (37-31-11), the Detroit Red Wings (38-32-9) and the Philadelphia Flyers (37-32-11) each have 85 points, one point out of the second wild card. Pittsburgh, Washington and Detroit each has three games remaining; Philadelphia has two.

The Tampa Bay Lightning (44-27-8) have clinched a playoff spot and sit in the first wild card with 96 points.

Each of the four contending teams play huge games Saturday, basically at the win-or-go-home point of their season.

The Flyers play the New Jersey Devils at Wells Fargo Center (5 p.m. ET; MSGSN, NBCSP), the Capitals host the Lightning (5:30 p.m. ET, MNMT, BSSUN), the Red Wings visit the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are third in the Atlantic Division (7 p.m. ET; CBC, SNO, SNW, SNP, BSDET), and the Penguins host the Boston Bruins (8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN+), who are fighting to hold on to first place in the Atlantic, one point ahead of the Florida Panthers.

With such a logjam, the intrigue heading into Saturday and beyond is nerve-wracking for players and fans alike.

Which team will navigate the gauntlet successfully?

We asked our writers to gaze into a crystal ball and prognosticate which team will survive when the Eastern Conference is done playing games Wednesday and emerge as the final qualifier from the East for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which start April 20.

Here are their selections:

Detroit Red Wings

Tell me if you've heard this before, but the Red Wings have their biggest game of the season coming up. This after playing their biggest game of the season against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, and at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. Well, now they have to go into Toronto on Saturday to play the Maple Leafs with a chance to jump back into a playoff spot. The reason I like the Red Wings is the spirit they showed during the final minutes of the third period against the Penguins, scoring twice in the final 7:04 to get the game to overtime. They are hungry and I believe they will get at least five points from their final three games, which finishes with a home-and-home against the Montreal Canadiens. The Penguins appear to be in the driver's seat for that final spot, but have three tough games, against the Bruins on Saturday, the Nashville Predators on Monday and what could be a do-or-die game at the Islanders on Wednesday. They have been red hot lately, but I feel they may cool down, opening the door for the Red Wings to pass them. -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

Philadelphia Flyers

I'm going with the team with probably the toughest path to the second wild card in the East. I predicted that Philadelphia would make the playoffs earlier this season, and I'm not going to jump off the bandwagon now. Why are they going to make it? Because they hit rock-bottom with a 9-3 loss at the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, their eighth straight (0-6-2). But they got off the mat with a 4-1 win at the New York Rangers on Thursday. They played with the pace, defensive acumen, shot-blocking selflessness and timely goaltending from Samuel Ersson that made them a surprise playoff contender earlier in the season. And the Flyers' young core, among them forwards Travis Konecny, Bobby Brink and Noah Cates, and defenseman Cam York, each responded with points in the game. That’s a positive sign as they host the Devils on Saturday and close the regular season against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday. The Flyers know they face long odds and are embracing the role of underdog. Hey, it's Philly, right? -- William Douglas, staff writer

The Flyers have the worst odds among the teams fighting for that last spot, but I think their remaining two games are more winnable for them than what their competition faces down the stretch. The way the Flyers played in their win against the Rangers on Thursday was more indicative of how they played for most of the season when they became an unlikely contender for a postseason spot. They checked better and were able to attack with speed in transition, and on the defensive side they were able to keep the Rangers to the outside in the offensive zone at even strength and got timely saves from Ersson. Can they do it again two more times? It's been a season full of surprises for the Flyers, so why not one more? -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

Pittsburgh Penguins

After picking them last week to emerge with one of the two final playoff spots in the East, I'm sticking with the Penguins. Seriously, they've sold me. They are putting it together at the best time of the season (7-0-3 in their past 10), and if anyone is going to will a team into a playoff position with his play, it's going to be Sidney Crosby. The 36-year-old is playing like someone 10 years younger. Not that others haven't been playing well too; you don't get that recent record without a team effort. But Crosby has been playing with a determination that's been impressive. I wouldn't doubt him or the Penguins at this point. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

I've watched Crosby long enough to know never to count him out. The Penguins looked resigned to missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs when they traded forward Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes on March 7. Yet Crosby has put the Penguins on his back and dragged Pittsburgh into a playoff spot against all odds. His set-up for defenseman Erik Karlsson to score in overtime for a 6-5 win against the Red Wings on Thursday was an example of the competitive fire still burning in Crosby. If he can get the Penguins in, he should be in the conversation for the Hart Trophy as the League's most valuable player in my opinion. Pittsburgh has three difficult games to end the season, hosting the Bruins and then the Predators before finishing at the Islanders, but is in the driver's seat, a point ahead of the other three contenders. I believe Crosby will be able to keep them there. -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

Crosby has been great and he is a candidate for League MVP in my opinion. Since the NHL Trade Deadline on March 8, Crosby has 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 18 games. But let's not forget what wins games when spring arrives: defense and goaltending. And while Crosby should bask in the well-deserved accolades being thrown his way, let's not forget the forgotten Alex Nedeljkovic. The de facto backup goalie to Tristan Jarry all season, Nedeljkovic has taken the reins at the most important time and guided the Penguins to temporary safety. Since March 17 he is 8-0-3 with a .905 save percentage in 12 games (11 starts). It hasn't always been pretty, but it's been enough. With Crosby and forwards Bryan Rust and newcomer Michael Bunting, obtained in the Guentzel trade, the Penguins might have enough goaltending to get them across the finish line. That's not a statement any of the chasing teams can make. -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

Washington Capitals

Like Tracey, I'm sticking with my stance from our roundtable last week, when I picked the Islanders and Capitals for the two spots up for grabs in the East. It appears I'm going to be correct with the Islanders, so I'm going to stand by my initial instinct about the Capitals too. It doesn't look as promising as last week now that they trail the Penguins and have one win in their past eight games (1-5-2). But they've found a way to respond every time this season when it appeared they were falling out of the race. Washington probably needs to win its final three games and get some help. Pittsburgh has some tough game left, though, including against the Bruins on Saturday. Alex Ovechkin has been scoring like Alex Ovechkin lately with 22 goals in his past 33 games, and four in his past five games, including the winner in a 2-1 victory against Detroit on Tuesday. He might have another big goal or two left in him for these final three games. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer