Do some breathing exercises and have your stomach medicine on standby. The Washington Capitals’ final game of the 2023-24 season against the Philadelphia Flyers will be for ALL THE MARBLES.
While the Capitals took care of business on Monday defeating the Boston Bruins 2-0, they got absolutely no help from the other teams they’re battling with for playoff spots, meaning Tuesday’s game is the end-all-be-all.
If the Capitals defeat the Flyers, they will make the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. If anything else happens… [chews on nails]… AHHHHHH!
Let’s recap where things sit currently.
The Capitals are tied with the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference but own the position due to the first tiebreaker, regulation wins (31-27). The Pittsburgh Penguins sit one point behind the Caps with 88 points going into their final game of the season against the New York Islanders. The Flyers (87 standings points) were idle and await their matchup against the Capitals at Wells Fargo Center, Tuesday night.
The Penguins staved off elimination by beating the Nashville Predators 4-2.
The Red Wings came back and won in overtime over the Montreal Canadiens 5-4.
The scenarios for tomorrow are as followed.
- If the Capitals win, they’re in the playoffs.
- If the Red Wings win and the Capitals lose, they’re in the playoffs.
- If the Penguins win and the Capitals and Red Wings lose, they’re in the playoffs.
- If all three teams lose in regulation, the Flyers are in the playoffs.
As of now, the Penguins hold the first tiebreaker and lead in regulation wins among the four still-alive teams.
Regulation wins tiebreaker
Penguins 32
Capitals 31
Flyers 30
Red Wings 27
Whoever gets the eighth spot will play Peter Laviolette’s New York Rangers.
The 2023-24 season has been a good one for the @NYRangers! 👀
Presidents' Trophy ✅
Eastern Conference title ✅
Metropolitan Division title ✅#NHLStats: https://t.co/X2F5cuM56t pic.twitter.com/TtkWc2LSXz— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 16, 2024
Meanwhile, the New York Islanders officially clinched the third and final guaranteed playoff position from the Metropolitan Division (M3). They defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-1.
