The Washington Capitals are on the outside looking in for a playoff berth once again.
The Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers, two teams that they are in direct competition with, both came up with wins a day after Washington moved into the second wild card spot.
Detroit stole the spot back after grabbing a 4-3 victory in dramatic fashion. With their netminder pulled, Lucas Raymond sent the game to overtime with just 12.6 seconds remaining in regulation. There, Patrick Kane would notch the game-winner in the extra frame.
Detroit (76) now has a one-point edge over the Capitals (75), but the Capitals have two games in hand.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Flyers, who sit in the Metropolitan Division’s third and final playoff spot, hung on for a 4-3 regulation win over the Toronto Maple Leafs — the Capitals’ opponent on Wednesday night.
The Flyers (78) are now three points ahead of the Capitals, but Washington holds two games in hand. The Capitals could jump over both teams with wins in those games yet to be played.
The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New York Islanders 4-1, keeping Isles (73) two points behind the Capitals. The Caps have one game in hand on them.
According to MoneyPuck, the Capitals had over 50 percent odds of making the playoffs coming into Tuesday. Washington’s used a 9-4-1 record over the last month to shoot back up the standings and are well positioned to take control of their own destiny. Head coach Spencer Carbery is preaching a day-by-day attitude for his team though.
Capitals above 50% to make playoffs now https://t.co/RbnckCLHNP pic.twitter.com/w6znpQU3ms
— MoneyPuck.com (@MoneyPuckdotcom) March 19, 2024
“We’ll focus on one day at a time,” he said Monday. “Tomorrow we’ll rest, we’ll travel tomorrow, and then get ready for Toronto.”
Carbery’s measured attitude is appropriate as the path forward still has plenty of obstacles and potential stumbling blocks. Per Tankathon, only the Montreal Canadiens will face a stronger schedule to end the regular season.
The tough games start immediately on Wednesday night against the Maple Leafs as the Capitals have finally returned home from out west. After their test against Toronto, they’ll then consecutively play the Hurricanes, Winnipeg Jets, Red Wings, Maple Leafs, and the Boston Bruins to end March.
