The 2023-24 Washington Capitals refuse to go away in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
After falling back out of the second wild card position last week, the Capitals used an absurd 7-6 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes and a 3-0 shutout of the Winnipeg Jets to leap back over the Detroit Red Wings once again in the standings.
After the final horn on Sunday afternoon, the Capitals had amassed 79 standings points after 70 games. They sit one point ahead of the Red Wings (78) and still hold a game in hand against Detroit.
The two teams will face each other on Tuesday night to wrap up the Capitals’ four-game homestand. Detroit has won just three of their last 10 games and were shut out 1-0 by the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
The Capitals are also just two points behind the Philadelphia Flyers (81) who currently hold the third and guaranteed playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division. The Flyers play later on Sunday against the Florida Panthers and once that game ends, the Capitals will still hold two games in hand on them.
Entering action on Sunday, most playoff predicting models had the Capitals with a coin flip chance of securing a spot in the postseason. With the win over Winnipeg, those percentages have jumped up nearly ten points across the board.
It was simply, a huge, huge victory.
The team is being led by a revitalization of captain Alex Ovechkin after the worst start to a year of his career. Ovechkin had just eight goals after 43 games this season and now has eight goals in his last five games after potting two against the Jets. Over his past 24 outings, he is scoring at an over 60-goal-season pace (61.5) with 18 markers.
“Post All-Star break, it’s almost like his engagement level [has risen] and he smells that these are the most important games of the year,” head coach Spencer Carbery said Wednesday. “You can tell he’s been through this a long time, 19 years now, and this time of the year is his time to shine and where he really, really wants to get his game at a high level but also the entire group’s as our captain.”
Charlie Lindgren has also been a complete superstar in net for the team this season, especially over this last stretch of games. In March, Lindgren has posted an 8-3 record with a 2.22 goals-against average, a .923 save percentage, and two shutouts.
Lindgren's eight wins in the month of March are the most in the NHL.
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) March 24, 2024
The Capitals have battled through a super tough portion of their schedule and now there is light at the end of the tunnel. Per Tankathon, the Capitals have the 13th most difficult remaining schedule (.573 points percentage) with games against Boston (2), Carolina, Toronto, Tampa, and Philadelphia still to come. Less than a week ago, they had the fourth most difficult remaining schedule.
Detroit has the same difficult left when it comes to combined points percentage (.573) and has one less game to play. If the Capitals can pull off a win on home ice against the Red Wings on Tuesday, they’ll be in prime position to box them completely out of the conversation.
