With only one game left to play in the regular season, there are a few scenarios that could play out for the Flyers first round playoff match up.
As of now, the Eastern Conference looks like this:
1.) Washington - 107 Pts - 1 Game Left
2.) Philadelphia - 104 Pts - 1 Game Left
3.) Boston - 101 Pts - 2 Games Left
4.) Pittsburgh - 104 Pts - 1 Game Left
5.) Tampa Bay - 101 Pts - 1 Game Left
6.) Montreal - 94 Pts - 1 Game Left
7.) Buffalo - 94 Pts - 1 Game Left
8.) Carolina - 91 Pts - 1 Game Left
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9.) NY Rangers - 91 Pts - 1 Game Left
The standings are based on season Pt totals (2 for a W, 1 for an OT L). The first 3 seeds are reserved for the 3 division leaders...the first tie breaker is which team has more non-shootout wins.
If the Flyers win tomorrow, the will finish in 2nd place regardless of what other teams do, and will play the 7th seed, either Montreal or Buffalo, in the first round.
If the Flyers and Pens both lose in regulation, both lose in OT, or if the the Flyers lose in OT and the Pens in regulation, then the Flyers will win the division, but might slip to the 3rd seed depending on what Boston does. In this scenario, they would play the 6th seed, again either Montreal or Buffalo.
If the Penguins gain 1 point on the Flyers tomorrow (They win, we lose in reg/OT or they lose in OT and we lose in regulation), they will win the division and the Flyers will finish in 4th and play Tampa Bay in the first round. This is the worst case scenario since they will finish 4th and Tampa Bay is the hardest match up for them.
The bottom line, however, is the Flyers control their own destiny. If they win tomorrow, which they should since they are playing a not so good Islanders team, they avoid slipping to 4th and get a much more favorable first round match up against either Buffalo or Montreal (MTL would be my preference). If the lose, well, then they rely on Atlanta beating Pittsburgh on Sunday...
Other things to watch...
Washington is set in the 1st seed and Tampa is set in the 5th. Montreal plays Toronto tomorrow, if they win they clinch the 6th seed, if not, they open things up for Buffalo to take it, they play Columbus. If Carolina beats Tampa, they will clinch the 8th and final playoff seed. The Rangers must win their afternoon game tomorrow again New Jersey to keep their playoff hopes alive, and then would need Carolina to lose. Wouldn't it be great to see the Rangers miss out on the playoffs for the second straight year on the last game of the season? :)
Lots going on tomorrow, but like I said, the Flyers can make it easy on themselves with a Win. Let's Go Flyers!
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