Entering their game against the Detroit Red Wings, the Washington Capitals were 4-0-1 in their last 5 games, scratching and crawling their way back into playoff contention in the Eastern Conference. But their 8-3 loss to the Red Wings on Tuesday was devastating in more ways than one.
According to Hockey Viz, the Capitals’ playoff chances took a five percent hit with the regulation loss to Detroit, who owns the first wild card spot in the East. The Flyers also beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2, giving both teams a six-point edge in the standings over the Caps.
MoneyPuck now has the Caps’ chance of making the postseason at 5.9 percent. With only three games left until the 2024 trade deadline on March 8, the Capitals seem destined to be sellers, especially after general manager Brian MacLellan signaled their uneven performance earlier in the month as the determining factor.
The Capitals seemed to understand the magnitude of the moment despite their uneven performance. The Capitals tried to come back multiple time against the Red Wings, perhaps knowing it was their last-ditch effort to save their season.
“[Detroit] jumped on us right away and we didn’t do a good enough job controlling pucks early on in the game,” Tom Wilson said postgame. “They built momentum and kind of just carried it there on in.
“Obviously, not good enough. They are crucial points at a big time of year. There’s nothing to digest. It’s not good enough. Next game’s big. We’ve just got to get grinding forward but this one is disappointing for sure.”
The Capitals gave up five different five-on-five goals to the Red Wings on the night as well as surrendering two power-play goals and a shorthanded goal after a John Carlson turnover.
“They’re a good skating team,” Wilson said. “I think we needed to simplify early and we didn’t. They have skilled players that can make things happen. They were jumping and playing high-octane offense and we weren’t doing a good enough job defending early in the game. And then it just turns into a crapshoot where you’re not structured. They got guys that can make plays but we weren’t good enough in our D zone, through the neutral zone, and we didn’t get enough o-zone time to make them pay.”
The Capitals will now turn their attention to the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday, who sit in the Metropolitan Division’s third playoff spot.
“We’ll turn the page,” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said. “We’ve played well. That game is a one-off for our group.”
