NHL Playoff Death Watch: Now this is a rivalry night

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

Huge win for the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night.

YUUUUUUUGE.

The Wings’ 3-0 shutout of the Philadelphia Flyers increases their playoff probability by nearly 20 percent. They’re two points up on the Boston Bruins and hold the advantage in non-shootout wins for the tie-breaker. They’re in Boston tonight, with a chance to clinch a playoff spot with a win of any kind – let’s see how much they have left against a rested Bruins team.

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.

All playoff percentages are from Sports Club Stats; tragic numbers and other figures via the NHL. A team is eliminated from play-offs when their "Tragic Number" hits 0.

The Eastern Conference picture, via the NHL:

The Flyers have three games left, while the Bruins have two. Boston’s tragic number remains at five points, meaning any combination gained by Philly or lost by Boston ends their season, which is basically on the line against the Red Wings tonight.

The Red Wings, meanwhile, could still get home ice if they win out and the Lightning lose out. 

Here are the latest Eastern Conference playoff odds from Sports Club Stats:

*Wild Card Teams

The New York Islanders vs. New York Rangers game tonight will go a long way towards establishing the No. 3 seed in the Metro. But again – would you rather have the Florida Panthers or the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 1? 

Meanwhile, in the West:

EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING!!!

The Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues are battling for the conference lead, i.e. playing the Chicago Blackhawks or the Minnesota Wild. (The Hawks face the Blues tonight, which is delicious.) 

The Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings face off. A loss for the Kings doesn’t mean they can’t win the Pacific, but it’ll become a hell of a lot harder. That ROW advantage looms large, however.

--

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

MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY