In the locker room, after the Washington Capitals fell to the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 in the Stadium Series game, TJ Oshie observed that “I think our playoff hockey probably starts in this next week here, otherwise, we’re gonna be on the outside looking in.”

Oshie’s urgency may have been a week late. After four consecutive losses in regulation, the Capitals are now sitting in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings as of the morning of Tuesday, February 21. Moneypuck has the Capitals’ chances of making the playoffs at 16.2 percent while Micah McCurdy’s model has them at 34.2 percent.

Tonight, the Capitals play the Detroit Red Wings at Capital One Arena. A fifth-straight regulation loss could prove to be a dagger and something the team is unable to come back from — though they may already be past that point.

Wild card standings as of the morning of 2/21/23

Screenshot: NHL.com

The New York Islanders and Florida Panthers currently occupy the two wild card spots in the East, but their grip on those positions is tenuous. Both teams have played 60 games which are two or more games than all of the contenders behind them.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, who have the best points percentage of all the teams in the mix (.563), sit one point out of the second wild card position and have four games in hand on both wild card teams (maximum eight possible standings points). The Penguins also have two games in hand on the Capitals.

The Buffalo Sabres sit in 11th place in the East and four standings points out of the final wild-card spot, but they have six games in hand on the top two teams and four games in hand on the Capitals, who are two points ahead of them.

The true chaos makers are the two young and upcoming teams sitting in 12th and 13th in the Eastern Conference standings. Sitting two points behind the Capitals, the Red Wings have a better points percentage than Washington (.545 vs .534) and have three games in hand. The Red Wings got to this stage after going 7-3-0 in their last 10 games.

The Ottawa Senators have reinserted themselves into the conversation as well after a 7-2-1 stretch. The Senators are four points behind the Capitals but have two games in hand.

There are only two playoff spots available for these seven Eastern Conference teams and they are all in the mix. The Capitals have a points percentage better than only two of those teams.

If, as Oshie said, the playoffs start this week for the Capitals – then tonight may be a Game Seven.

Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB