The 2023-24 Washington Capitals just keep on finding ways to come up with two points from big games.
Tuesday night was no different as the Capitals kept the Detroit Red Wings at bay with a 4-3 victory in overtime. With the win, Washington stays in the second wild-card playoff spot and increases their lead over Detroit to two points while still holding a game in hand.
After the dust settled — with multiple games in the Eastern Conference ending around the same time — here’s what the race currently looks like.
The Capitals had the chance to jump over the Philadelphia Flyers for third in the Metropolitan Division, but Philadelphia secured a late point against the Rangers in their matchup. With a regulation loss, they would have fallen behind the Capitals based on points percentage.
With their win over the Flyers, the Rangers became the first team in the league to clinch a playoff spot this year. They are also the first team to hit the 100-point mark. If both teams remain in their current playoff positions, the Rangers would become the Caps’ first-round opponent.
While Washington stood to gain much more with a regulation win against Detroit, the OT victory still improved their playoff chances by about 7-8 percent across commonly cited statistical models. On the flip side, the Red Wings saw their playoff probability drop by about 5 percent.
After wrapping up this 3-1 homestand, the Capitals will have a quick one-game road trip in Toronto to try and get some revenge for their recent loss to the Maple Leafs. They’ll then alternate playing at home and away for the next five games before meeting up with the Red Wings again on April 9.
The Capitals have won six of their last seven games (6-1-0) and enter Thursday's game at Toronto on a three-game winning streak.
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) March 27, 2024
Per Tankathon, Detroit and Washington share the same difficulty in remaining schedule when it comes to the combined points percentage of their opposition (.576). Neither team has any Western Conference opponents left to face this season.
