On Tuesday night, the Philadelphia Flyers loss to the New York Rangers leaves them in a very precarious position. The defeat, coupled with a Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 win over the Boston Bruins, puts the Flyers on the brink of home-ice elimination for the opening round.
The standings are as follows in the East:
1) New York - 109 points
2) Boston - 98 points
3) Florida - 92 points
4) Pittsburgh - 104 points
5) Philadelphia - 101 points
6) New Jersey - 98 points
7) Ottawa - 92 points
8) Washington - 88 points
Philadelphia can't fall any further than sixth, but only needs one point in either of the final two games to ensure a fifth place finish or better.
To catch the Penguins, the Flyers need to beat a very desperate Buffalo Sabres team on Thursday. The Sabres are tied with Washington for the final spot in the East.
If Philadelphia does defeat Buffalo and Pittsburgh only gets a point or less on Thursday against the Rangers, then Saturday's head-to-head tilt with Sidney Crosby and the boys is for home-ice advantage in the first round.
The potential playoff opponents in the opening round are Washington, Florida and Pittsburgh for the Flyers.
For more on the Flyers, be sure to check out our blog Broad Street Hockey and SB Nation Philly for all the latest news and updates.