CRANBERRY, Pa. -- If the Penguins make the postseason, their list of likely first-round opponents is three teams.
If they clinch the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, they'll play whichever team wins the Metropolitan Division. While the Rangers aren't out of contention for that title with 98 points, it looks more likely that it will come down to the Hurricanes and Devils for that spot. Right now it's the Hurricanes in the lead with 103 points, a one-point margin with one game in hand over the Devils.
The way the playoff picture sits now, it would be the Islanders playing the Hurricanes, as the Islanders hold the first wild card spot in the East with a three-point lead over the Penguins, who occupy the second wild card spot.