The Pittsburgh Penguins were idle Tuesday, but there was plenty of action elsewhere throughout the NHL that altered their surroundings in standings and the playoff races.
While the Penguins (36-30-12, 84 points) remained in third place for the second — and final — wild-card position in the Eastern Conference, the two teams directly ahead of them and behind them flipped with one another for second place.
The Washington Capitals (37-30-11, 85 points) moved into that position with a 2-1 road win against the Detroit Red Wings (38-32-8, 84 points) at Little Caesars Arena. As a result of the loss, the Red Wings slipped behind the Penguins into fourth place. With 31 regulation wins, the Penguins hold the second tiebreaker over the Red Wings, who have 27 regulation wins.
The Penguins host the Red Wings on Thursday at PPG Paints Arena.
With respect to the Metropolitan Division, the New York Islanders (36-27-15, 87 points) fortified their claim for third place with a 4-2 home win against the New York Rangers at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y.
Further down the trough, the Philadelphia Flyers (36-32-11, 83 points) were routed by the Montreal Canadiens, 9-3, at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
Meanwhile, the New Jersey Devils (37-37-5, 79 points) were officially eliminated from postseason contention after they suffered a 5-2 home loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Also eliminated were the Buffalo Sabres (37-37-5, 79 points) following a 3-2 road loss to the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center.
