The Washington Capitals’ playoff odds dropped to 3.1 percent on Tuesday after three games on the NHL slate did not go their way.
The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the New Jersey Devils 5-1
The Flyers officially eliminated the Devils from playoff contention during a 5-1 beatdown in Newark. The two points give the Flyers a two-point lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets and a three-point advantage over the New York Islanders for the third spot in the Metropolitan Division.
The Ottawa Senators blow out the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2
Brady Tkachuk had four points in Ottawa’s clutch victory over Tampa Bay. The victory gave the Senators a two-point lead for the second wild-card spot in the East.
The Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in the shootout
The Blue Jackets and Red Wings had a three-point game as their game went to extras. Columbus won the game in the shootout and now sit two points out of the second wild card spot in the East. The Red Wings, even with the single point, hit 89 points and jumped over the Islanders in the standings due to the regulation wins tiebreaker.
With those games over, here’s how the standings look at the end of the night.
With the Devils officially eliminated, the Capitals are the next team facing the dreaded E in the Eastern Conference.
The third spot in the Metro appears to be slipping away. Washington, who is trailing the Flyers by five points, can only get a maximum of 95 points if they win all four of their final games while the Flyers already have 92 points. Then, the Blue Jackets are ahead of them with 90 points while the Islanders have 89 points with four games remaining.
The second wild-card spot is still viable, but barely. Ottawa is three points away from the Capitals’ top number of 95. So basically, if those teams play .500 hockey, it’s over.
The 8-1 loss to the Rangers truly was devastating. The Capitals may only have a few days left before they’re eliminated.
