Pens see miniscule bump in playoff chances with Red Wings loss, Islanders win

During a night where the Penguins were scoreboard watching instead of playing, the team saw their playoff chances tick up ever so slightly.

Heading into last night’s game, the Penguins had a 44% chance of making the playoffs, according to HockeyViz.

Three games on the schedule had the potential to hurt or help the Penguins’ chances with Washington and Detroit, Montreal and Philadelphia, and the Islanders and Rangers all going head-to-head.

The Islanders pulled out a victory, hurting the Penguins chances by 3%, but the Flyers were walloped by the Canadiens and the Red Wings lost to the Capitals, helping the Penguins with a 4% boost, netting what feels like a measly 1%, but it’s an increase instead of a decrease, so a win is a win at this juncture.