The Pittsburgh Penguins remain very much in the playoff hunt in the NHL’s Eastern Conference thanks to the point they salvaged in last night’s overtime loss to the Maple Leafs on the road in Toronto.
Trailing 2-1 late in the game, Drew O’Connor came up big and leveled things even for the Penguins, sending the game into overtime, where the team would lose, but come away with an ever-so valuable point in the standings.
With that lone point, the Penguins sit tied with the Detroit Red Wings for the second spot in the NHL’s Eastern Conference wild card race.
Heading into Monday night’s game, the Penguins had a 40% to 45% of chance of making the playoffs, depending on different metrics and forecasting.
A regulation win last night would’ve bumped the Penguins chances way up, but had the Penguins lost in regulation, their chances would’ve taken a huge hit.
According to HockeyViz, the Penguins’ chances only fell by 1% and still sit with a 44% chance of making the playoffs with games against the Islanders and Red Wings still on their schedule.
According to MoneyPuck, that single overtime loss point didn’t change much for the Penguins and have the team’s odds of making the postseason at 38.7%.
The Penguins have tonight off but will surely be doing some scoreboard watching as the Red Wings and Capitals will be playing head-to-head and the Islanders, Flyers, and Devils all with game action of their own, as well.
The Pens will have a better idea of what the standings look like by the end of tonight and get back on the ice on Thursday with a huge tilt scheduled against the Red Wings at PPG Paints Arena.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.
