What needs to happen for Red Wings to earn playoff spot

Detroit Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde predicted long ago that the playoff chase would come down to the 82nd and final game of the season, and he was right.

The Red Wings are among four teams competing for the second wild card spot, but they do not control their own destiny as they visit Montreal in the back end of a home-and-home set.

Washington can clinch the spot with a victory in any fashion at Philadelphia Tuesday. The Flyers still have a shot, needing a victory and regulation losses by Detroit and Pittsburgh, which wraps up Wednesday at the New York Islanders.

The Penguins would get in if they tied for the wild card spot with any of the other three clubs because they own the tiebreaker (more regulation wins) with all of them.

Here are the scenarios for Detroit:

1. If the Red Wings beat Montreal in any fashion (regulation, overtime, shootout), they would finish with 91 points and would get into the playoffs if:

Washington loses in any fashion at Philadelphia. In this case, it wouldn’t matter how the Penguins fare against the Islanders.

2. If the Red Wings lose to Montreal in overtime or a shootout, they will finish with 90 points and would get into the playoffs if:

Washington loses at Philadelphia in regulation and Pittsburgh loses to the Islanders in any fashion (regulation, overtime or a shootout).

3. If the Red Wings lose in regulation to Montreal, they will be eliminated from playoff contention regardless of any other results.

Whoever earns that second wild card spot will face the New York Rangers in the first round of the playoffs. The Rangers have clinched the top seed in the East with 114 points.