Playoff Countdown: Pens fighting for second place

Saturday, April 11, marks the conclusion to the 2014-15 regular season. Yet, much remains to be decided in the frantic run to the finish line, including playoff positioning and numerous individual accomplishments and milestones. To celebrate the countdown to the end of the season and the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 15, NHL.com will provide a piece of playoff-related content each day.

The Pittsburgh Penguins take center stage on a four-game night in the NHL, not only because they are part of the Wednesday Night Rivalry doubleheader on NBCSN, but because they have the best chance to re-order the muddled picture for the Stanley Cup Playoff berths in the Eastern Conference.

The Penguins host their primary rival, the Philadelphia Flyers, at Consol Energy Center (8 p.m.; NBCSN, TVA, SN1) with a chance to solidify its place in the Metropolitan Division standings.

Pittsburgh (42-23-11) and the New York Islanders each have 95 points, but the Penguins hold down second place because it has played one less game than the Islanders, who are idle on Wednesday. The Penguins could also open a three-point lead on fourth-place Washington, which holds the first wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. The Capitals have also played one more game than the Penguins.

Second place in the Metropolitan Division matters because it provides home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs against the third-place team from the division.

Philadelphia (30-29-17), which was eliminated from playoff contention earlier this week, will not be an easy challenge for the Penguins. The Flyers have played 14 games at Consol Energy Center since it opened and have gone 11-2-1.

The other game Wednesday which has playoff implications features the Anaheim Ducks (49-22-7) hosting the Edmonton Oilers (10 p.m. ET; SNW, FS-W). The Ducks, who have already clinched a playoff berth, could win the Pacific Division title by taking at least one point from the Oilers (23-40-13). In claiming the Pacific Division title, the Ducks would guarantee a first-round matchup against one of the two wild-card teams from the Western Conference.

Here's a closer look at the action Wednesday:

Toronto Maple Leafs at Buffalo Sabres (7:30 p.m. ET; SN, MSG-B)

Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN1, TVA)

Edmonton Oilers at Anaheim Ducks (10 p.m. ET; SNW, FS-W)

Colorado Avalanche at San Jose Sharks (10:30 p.m. ET: NBSCN, SN1)

The top three teams in each division will make up the first 12 teams in the playoffs. The remaining four spots are filled by the next two highest-placed finishers in each conference, based on regular-season points and regardless of division. It is possible for one division to send five teams to the postseason while the other sends just three.

Seeding of the wild-card teams within each divisional playoff will be determined on the basis of regular-season points. The division winner with the most points in the conference will be matched against the wild-card team with the fewest points; the division winner with the second-most points in the conference will play the wild-card team with the second-fewest points.

The teams finishing second and third in each division will play in the first round of the playoffs. There is no reseeding as the tournament moves to the second round and winners of that series advance to the conference championship series and the right to play in the Stanley Cup Final.