The Pittsburgh Penguins host the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET from PPG PAINTS Arena in Pittsburgh. This game should have a Stanley Cup Playoff atmosphere with these two teams tight in the race for the last Wild Card spot from the Eastern Conference and third place in the Metropolitan Division. Both teams are coming off a tough loss but still remain in good position to make the playoffs, well, at least for whichever team picks up the win Thursday. Below we’ll go over where the Pens and Wings stand and each potential scenario for the playoff picture.
2024 NHL playoff picture
Where both teams stand
Here’s a quick look at the standings and where the Penguins and Red Wings sit. The Penguins are at 84 points with four games remaining. Same goes for the Red Wings. Pittsburgh owns the tiebreaker in the standings with more regulation wins (31 vs. 27). It appears unlikely the Red Wings would get enough regulation wins to jump the Penguins for the tiebreaker. So Detroit will need to finish with more points at the end of the season.
Entering Thursday, both teams sit one point behind the Washington Capitals (85) for the second Wild Card into the playoffs in the East. The Caps picked up a big 2-1 win over Detroit on Tuesday to jump into the playoff spot. With four games left for all three teams, Washington controls its own destiny. There is also a chance the Capitals, Red Wings and/or Penguins can jump into third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders sit at 87 points and four games remaining. That’s three clear of the Pens and Wings and two clear of Washington.
The Caps and Flyers face each other the final game of the regular season and the Pens and Isles face off for their last game on the schedule as well. Detroit has the advantage with two games against the Canadiens to finish the regular season.
Breaking down outcomes and scenarios
If the Red Wings were to win this game, given the two games against the Habs to wrap the season, Detroit would be well positioned to take the Wild Card spot if the Capitals falter at all. Washington has Buffalo, Tampa Bay, Boston and Philly to wrap the season. The Bruins and Lightning are still sort of pushing for seeding in the Atlantic. It doesn’t appear either team will rest players or take the foot off the gas, so to speak. If the Red Wings take care of business vs. Pittsburgh and win both games over Montreal, and the Caps split their final four games, Detroit gets in by one point. That’s assuming the Penguins don’t also tie Detroit and the Islanders falter down the stretch.
For Pittsburgh, every game is must-win. The Penguins have the Bruins, Predators and Islanders to wrap the season. We could see New York and Pittsburgh playing for a playoff spot in that final game. Losing to Detroit greatly hurts the Penguins’ chances of either playoff spot. Both Boston and Nashville are in but are still jockeying for seeding. For Nashville, it could be the difference between playing the Dallas Stars or the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the playoffs. There is also the chances the Oilers jump the Canucks but that’s another story altogether.