NHL playoffs: How the second wild card will be won

One of the most unpredictable and enjoyable NHL regular seasons in years is drawing to a close, and the Rangers, who clinched first place overall in the league on Monday with their 4-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators, could learn their first-round playoff opponent Tuesday night.

Entering Tuesday, the Rangers (55-23-4) could face either Washington, Detroit, Pittsburgh or Philadelphia when the playoffs open this weekend. But each of those teams still has a game to play to determine who will win the second wild card playoff spot and face the Blueshirts.

Here's the schedule:

Tuesday

Washington (89 points) vs. Philadelphia (87)

Detroit (89 points) at Montreal

Wednesday

Pittsburgh (88 points) vs, the Islanders (clinched third place in the Metropolitan Division)

Here’s how the Rangers’ first-round playoff opponent will be determined:

Washington: Beat Philadelphia

Detroit: Beat Montreal, Philadelphia beats Washington

Pittsburgh: Washington and Detroit lose, then beat Isles

Philadelphia: Beat Washington in regulation, Detroit loses in regulation time to create a three-way tie between the Flyers, Capitals and Red Wings, at 89 points. The Flyers own the first tiebreaker – wins in regulation time – over Detroit, and would own the fourth tiebreaker, head-to-head points, over Washington (Philadelphia would win that four points to three). Philadelphia would then need the Islanders to beat Pittsburgh in regulation.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.