The Washington Capitals will officially see their 2025-26 season come to an end against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.
The Capitals were eliminated from playoff contention after the Philadelphia Flyers picked up a comeback 3-2 shootout victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday. The Flyers got goals from Matvei Michkov and Trevor Zegras to down a Hurricanes team, already crowned Metropolitan Division champions, that sat out several of their key players for rest-related reasons.
With the win, the Flyers clinch the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and will play a first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Hurricanes also clinched first in the Eastern Conference by grabbing the loser’s point.
The Capitals miss the playoffs for the first time under head coach Spencer Carbery and for the first time since the spring of 2023, which preceded Carbery’s hiring. Despite not participating in the postseason, they will finish with at least the seventh-most regulation wins in the NHL and currently hold a plus-18 goal differential.
According to Brian McNally, a plus-18 goal differential (pending tomorrow’s final game) would tie for the biggest plus margin to miss the playoffs since 2009. The Vegas Golden Knights also missed in 2022 at plus-18.
NHL standings after Flyers victory
Tuesday night’s game will not only be the last of the year for the Capitals but potentially the last of captain Alex Ovechkin’s NHL career. The 40-year-old winger announced last week that he will wait until the summer to decide if he’ll be back next fall.
