The Detroit Red Wings' NHL playoff chances should be a little clearer by the time they head home from their next game.

The battle for the East Conference's second wild-card berth has been a pillow fight, with no team grabbing a decisive hold. Teams are down to two or three games left, and everyone involved in the competition is in action Saturday.

The Wings (38-32-9) face the Maple Leafs in Toronto at 7 p.m. (Bally Sports Detroit), hoping for a repeat of Jan. 14, when the Wings won at Scotiabank Arena. The Leafs already have clinched a playoff berth, but need a point to lock up third place in the Atlantic Division, and Auston Matthews is two goals shy of reaching 70, so don't expect the Leafs to rest their star player.

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The Wings had a scheduled day off Friday; they left for Toronto on Thursday night clinging to their resolve after settling for one point in a 6-5 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was an especially tough outcome because the Penguins are one of the teams competing for one of the final two playoff spots in the East. They enter Saturday in the final wild-card spot, with three games remaining and 86 points, a point ahead of the Wings.

The Penguins play at 8 p.m. Saturday hosting the Atlantic-Division leading Boston Bruins. The Bruins have already clinched a playoff berth, but they're motivated by being in position to challenge for first place in the league, or at least holding off the Florida Panthers, who are just a point behind Boston in the division.

Saturday's slate begins with the New York Islanders visiting the New York Rangers at 12:30 p.m. The Islanders enter with 89 points, good for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Like the Bruins, the Rangers are striving for the Presidents' Trophy, while the Islanders are trying to lock up a playoff spot with three games remaining.

Meanwhile, at 5:30 p.m, the Washington Capitals host the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bolts have clinched, and are secure in the first wild-card berth with 96 points, so they may opt to rest their top players. That potentially could hurt the Wings, because the Capitals also have 85 points with three games remaining, and have the first tiebreaker over the Wings, with 29 regulation victories to Detroit's 27.

There's one other game that could affect the Wings: At 5 p.m., the Philadelphia Flyers host the New Jersey Devils. A recent eight-game skid has the Flyers on the outside after being third in the Metro, but they also have 85 points. With only two games remaining, they don't project to advance, but are still in the mix if others falter.

The Wings are scheduled to fly home Saturday night. Their regular season home finale is Monday against the Montreal Canadiens, and their season finale comes the following night in Montreal.

Saturday's outcomes should offer a degree of clarity, but if everyone in the race wins, or loses, or there are a bunch of overtime games — well, the Wings' fate may be unknown till Wednesday, when the Penguins visit the Islanders at 7 p.m. in the East's finale.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings face momentous Saturday in playoff race