There are three more nights in the NHL regular season, including Thursday. Plenty of teams are thinking about the Stanley Cup playoffs. Others are thinking about golf.
Every team, though, should be thinking about its respective worst-case scenarios.
MORE: Thursday's clinching scenarios | Max Pacioretty update | Bryan Murray's cancer fight
Here are a few:
Penguins
For as bad as things have gone in Pittsburgh this season — some of it out of the Pens' control, some not — and for as hard as the team gagged the past few games — it blew, as a guesstimate, 35 two-goal leads — the Penguins control their destiny.
Yes, even as the three rivers fill with the vomit of an entire fan base, the Penguins have a nearly 50 percent chance of making the playoffs, even if they go 0-2-0 in their final two games. It would count as a team backing into the playoffs at near-terminal velocity, but it'd count all the same. Three points would clinch it outright, and they'll have a chance at two on Friday against the Islanders.
Still, for the purpose of this exercise, imagine the Pens beating the Isles, coming within a point of clinching, and then losing to Buffalo in regulation on Saturday. If the Senators win their games against the Rangers and Flyers, that'd leave Pittsburgh with 98 points and Ottawa with the requisite 99.
MORE: Hot highlight videos | Follow the action, get the scores | Fallon roasts NHL players
That point Pittsburgh choked away earlier this week, when Ottawa came from 3-0 down, looks a lot worse.
Then, the Penguins would be in the Connor McDavid draft lottery. Great! Except … they traded an unprotected first-round pick earlier this season to the Oilers for David Perron. It seemed smart at the time. Now, less so.
Naturally, the Oilers would win the lottery with that pick, and the Penguins would blow up their team, trading either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin off a team that cratered because of injured defensemen, shaky forward depth and poor cap management. Oops.
And for good measure, let's say Crosby loses the Art Ross. He entered Thursday tied with John Tavares and Jamie Benn with 83 points.
Kings
The Kings, somehow, are in worse shape than Pittsburgh, thanks to Tuesday's regulation loss to the Oilers. They're two points behind Calgary and three behind Winnipeg for a playoff spot in the West. They could be eliminated Thursday with a regulation loss to the Flames and the Jets getting at least a point against the Avalanche. So the Kings need help.
And really, seeing their season circle the drain over a game against the Flames is bad enough. Seeing it end would be a disaster.
Sabres
The point of the Sabres' season has been to lose as many games as possible. Being more successful at that than any other team would guarantee them at least Jack Eichel, if not McDavid. The Coyotes, though, are breathing down (up?) their necks.
If the Sabres beat Columbus and Pittsburgh in their last two games and Arizona goes pointless against Vancouver and Anaheim, Buffalo would wind up with the NHL's second-worst record.
Then, the Sabres would lose the lottery to a non-Coyotes team, giving them the third pick in the draft and the accompanying Noah Hanifan/Dylan Strome door prizes. Those guys are really good — but they're not McEichel. Tank Commander Murray, you have failed us.
Islanders
The Islanders are in even better position than Pittsburgh; they have 98 points, putting them in third in the Metropolitan Division. They could still blow it, though; the most straightforward way for that to happen is losing in regulation to Pittsburgh on Friday and Columbus on Saturday.
Then, if the Penguins get a point against the Sabres and both Ottawa and Boston win both of their remaining two games, the Islanders would be out.
Like Pittsburgh, the Isles are losing their first-round pick — the Sabres own it by virtue of last year's Thomas Vanek trade. Let's say that's the pick that wins Buffalo the lottery.
The end result for the Islanders: missing out on a playoff run to close down Nassau Coliseum and the best prospect of his generation.
Senators
The Senators have 95 points and, because they have just 35 regulation/overtime wins, can't beat Pittsburgh (98 points) on tiebreakers. Same goes for the Bruins (95 points). If all three finish with the same amount of points, the Senators are out — and that would be brutal.
The Sens would be stuck wishing the schedule was 83 games long, or that both their goalies got injured a little earlier. Another game of Andrew Hammond wouldn't have hurt.
Flames
The Flames probably will make it — and even if they don't, the season would have been fun and successful. Worst-case scenario for them is slipping into a wild-card spot, hanging with the Blues at least a bit in the first round, convincing themselves that they're in win-now mode and spending recklessly this summer.
The way they've won, as much of a blast as it has been, has the Flames primed to come back to earth next season. Think Avalanche.
Jets
Ondrej Pavelec has been good, with his .919 save percentage. You're probably saying either "about time," or "that's surprising." If Pavelec self-destructs over the next two games — let's say 10 goals combined — the Jets could crash out, and we'll be back at square one.
Bruins
The Sens pass them (maybe with two wins versus one win and an OT loss), they get the McDavid bounce, and then trade him after two years.
Connor McDavid
He's all good unless Edmonton wins the lottery. That never seems to work out for anyone.
Everyone else
Nobody outside of L.A. wants to see the Kings sneak in. Fewer want to see the get lucky and pick McDavid.
What would be even worse? The Sabres winding up with both McDavid and Eichel, which would happen if they finish at 30 and the Isles miss the playoffs, and then win the lottery.