NHL Playoff Death Watch: Lightning, Islanders nearly done

Since we’re down to the final moments of postseason life for teams in contention, Puck Daddy solemnly begins a daily countdown to annihilation.

The Tampa Bay Lightning took a stick to the undercarriage literally and figuratively on Tuesday night, the latter in relation to their playoff chances.

Their 4-0 loss to noted mohel Brad Marchand and the Boston Bruins clinched a playoff berth for the Bruins but pushed the Lightning to the brink, with a tragic number of two. That means any two points gained by the last wild card team or lost by the Lightning ends their season. Ditto the New York Islanders, who stayed a alive with a 2-1 overtime win in Nashville last night.

Here are the current standings. The Death Watch tracks the final Wild Card spot and the teams that are chasing it. Their “tragic number” is the number of points gained by the final wild card team or lost by the team chasing it.

Here’s the Eastern Conference:

Give the Ottawa Senators credit: They’re closing the deal. Taking three points out of the Red Wings has them back in second place in the Atlantic, with three games to go. That said, according to Sports Club Stats, there’s a 36-percent chance they finish second and a 34-percent chance they finish in the last wild card.

(Keep in mind that although Boston has just two games left, they have the advantage in non-shootout wins.)

The Leafs’ loss to the Washington Capitals put them in the last wild card, i.e. a first-round meeting with the Washington Capitals. But they finish with three home games. They Leafs have a 38-percent chance of finishing third in the division.

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ win over the Columbus Blue Jackets moved them to 109 points and a lot closer to home ice in the first round. They now have an 84-percent chance to finishing second in the Metro.

Here’s the Western Conference:

The Anaheim Ducks’ win over the Calgary Flames moved them four points ahead of the Edmonton Oilers for first in the Pacific, although the Oil have a game in-hand. Sports Club Stats gives the Ducks an 81-percent chance of finishing first. The Sharks’ win tied them in points with the Oilers, but again, Edmonton has a game in-hand.

The bubble is crazy! Losses by the Blues and Flames, combined with Nashville’s overtime loss, moved the Preds to within a point of each. The Blues have a game in-hand on the other two teams, and no one plays each other. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks, Wild and the Pacific leaders wait to see who their opponents are in the postseason.

Calgary has a 54-percent chance of getting the first wild card and avoiding Chicago, while Nashville has a 52-percent chance of getting the second wild card.

Tonight … well, there’s really nothing of consequence going on, unless you think the Rangers can catch the Blue Jackets or the Penguins can catch the Capitals.

Here’s the Money Puck take:

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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