beLIEve wrote:Conference magic number: 8.
And just for fun, Flyers elimination magic number: 6.
Boston can now only tie the Pens in ROW, and one more Pens ROW or Habs fail to ROW will accomplish the same. Boston at best can negate the head to head tiebreak with a regulation win (since the first game in the city with the extra game is tossed), but goal differential is 14 goals in the Pens favor. So the net effect is 6 to clinch over the Bruins. Montreal hosts the Flyers on Monday, and Boston hosts Ottawa. Assuming they both win, a Pens win in regulation over the Habs on Wednesday would reduce the magic number over the Habs to 3, and a Pens win after regulation would reduce it to 4.
All told, the only other teams Pens have not clinched the ROW tiebreak on: Toronto (max 30), Chicago (max 33) and Anaheim (Max 29 - a push - with no head to head, Pens would win the goal differential - have an 18 goal edge, +39 to +21)