Can the Pittsburgh Penguins make the NHL playoffs? Analyzing their chances of competing for this year's Stanley Cup

The Pittsburgh Penguins are hanging on for their lives. The Penguins sit just one point back from a playoff spot to the tied New York Islanders and the Florida Panthers. The Penguins took down the Minnesota Wild in a huge momentum win that kept their playoff hopes alive. The problem was that the other two teams they were competing with also won, meaning the Penguins couldn’t position themselves in the playoffs heading down into the final three games.

How can the Pittsburgh Penguins make the playoffs in the NHL?

A three-team race

The Pittsburgh Penguins are one of the final three teams competing for the final two Wild Card playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. As for potential opponents, the Penguins would probably like to clinch the top Wild Card spot and bypass the Boston Bruins in the first round, but that would mean a matchup with the just as deadly Carolina Hurricanes. That doesn’t look likely as the Pens would have to leapfrog not one but two teams to get that spot

The three teams that are fighting for the last two spots are the Penguins, the Florida Panthers, and the New York Islanders. As of now, the Panthers have the tiebreaker over the Islanders for the first wild card spot with 89 points, with the Penguins a point back at 88.

Remaining schedule

Out of the three teams competing for the two playoff spots, the Pittsburgh Penguins might have one of the easiest schedules among them. The Penguins won’t play another playoff team for the rest of the regular season. Although they will have to go on the road twice out of the three, they aren’t far plane rides to Detroit and the season cap in Columbus.

Sandwiched between the two road games, the Penguins will host the Chicago Blackhawks in their home season finale. The Penguins should be heavy favorites in each of their remaining games and should win all of them. All the Penguins need to do is root for either the Carolina Hurricanes or Toronto Maple Leafs to thieve a point from the Panthers for a real shot at the postseason.

Staying consistent

To say the Pittsburgh Penguins have struggled to find real consistency in the months of March and April is an understatement. The Penguins haven’t won or lost two games in a row since a four-game losing streak that ended on March 20th.

For the Pittsburgh Penguins to make the playoffs, they need a three-game sweep to finish the season. Notably, winning three in a row is something the Pens haven’t done since March 2nd.