The Florida Panthers’ requirements to make it to the playoffs after Thursday seemed simple.
If they won both of their final games — Saturday at home against Buffalo and Sunday on the road against Boston — and the Philadelphia Flyers to lost in regulation Saturday against the New York Rangers, it should be enough to advance Florida to the playoffs in almost every case.
Almost.
The NHL announced Friday that there is indeed one scenario that, while improbable, could result in the Flyers and Panthers playing a tiebreaker game — essentially a playoff game to make the playoffs — on Tuesday.