Pittsburgh Penguins Playoff Chances: Sidney Crosby & co's chances take a hit in loss to Devils

With the NHL playoffs approaching, the Pittsburgh Penguins are in must-win mode.

Following their costly loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, the Penguins are currently one point out of the final Wild Card spot. They sit behind the Florida Panthers and the New York Islanders.

"The Penguins didn’t just lose on Tuesday. They looked like they shouldn’t have been on the same rink as the Devils. On a sobering night for a once great team that appears to be at the end:" - Josh Yohe

Now with only four games remaining in the regular season, Sidney Crosby and the Penguins likely need to win the remainder of their games to make the postseason.

Tuesday's loss to the New Jersey Devils could very well have ended the season for the Pittsburgh Penguins. According to powerrankingsguru.com, the Penguins hold a 45.3% chance of reaching the postseason. On the other hand, the Islanders are sitting at 76.9% with the Panthers at 74.9%.

While there is certainly pressure on Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and the rest of the roster to do better for Pittsburgh Penguins playoff chances, it may not be an impossible ask. Three of the four remaining games will be played against teams that have already been eliminated from playoff contention.

"Safe to say this: Penguins have easiest schedule remaining (1 payoff opponent, 1 fringe team, 2 pitiful eliminated teams). Isles have an "easy" schedule (1 playoff, 3 eliminated). Panthers have the toughest schedule (2 playoff teams, 1 fringe , 1 eliminated )" - Craig Dixon

Looking at the Pittsburgh Penguins' schedule, first up is a difficult matchup against the Minnesota Wild tonight. They then square off against the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Both the Blue Jackets and Blackhawks are looking to improve their odds of landing the first-overall pick in the upcoming draft. So these should be relatively easy games for the Penguins. While these teams are vying to draft Connor Bedard, if the Pittsburgh Penguins overlook their opponents, it could draw an end to their playoff chances.

Is this the end of the Pittsburgh Penguins' golden generation?

If the Penguins miss the playoffs, it may be a sign that the end of an era has arrived. After becoming one of the most successful NHL franchises over the last 15 years, the aging core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang may be nearing its end.

Similar to other dominant teams during the same era such as the Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks, all good things must come to an end. Dustin Brown retired from the Los Angeles Kings, with the team trading away Jonathan Quick at the trade deadline.

Whereas from the Chicago Blackhawks' their Stanley Cup-winning core, Patrick Kane was traded to the New York Rangers, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith retired, and captain Jonathan Toews appears to be nearing retirement as well.