The NY Islanders have put themselves in a dicey situation, needing help to make the playoffs

The NY Islanders have left themselves in a precarious situation going into the final four games of the regular season. Just over a week ago, they sat in second place in the Metro Division, controlling their own destiny for a postseason appearance. Now, they'll likely need a perfect ending to the season, along with help from around the league.

As things currently stand, the Islanders have 89 points, two places out of the final spot in the Metro Division and three out of the final Wild Card spot.

The NY Islanders need help from around the league

With their four-day "break," the results, especially last night, did not go in the Islanders' favor. The Philadelphia Flyers won their game-in-hand, defeating the NJ Devils 5-1 to move three points ahead of the Isles. Additionally, the Ottawa Senators took down the Tampa Bay Lightning, 6-2, taking them three points ahead of the Isles in the Wild Card. The Columbus Blue Jackets took on the Detroit Red Wings, both sitting on 88 points heading into the night. The worst-case scenario was a three-point game, which is what happened as the Blue Jackets took two points and the Red Wings took one.

Now, chasing down third place in the Metro and the second Wild Card, the Islanders don't just need to catch the Flyers and Senators; they'll also need to jump Columbus and/or Detroit. In all likelihood, they'll need to win all four remaining games, but they have the advantage of playing the Senators on Saturday in a daytime matinee at UBS Arena. The Isles will have the tie-breaker against the Flyers, currently with three more wins in regulation.

Before they can worry about the rest of the league, the Islanders will need to take care of their own business, and that starts tomorrow against the Toronto Maple Leafs.