The Washington Capitals got their storybook moment on Tuesday night.
With both the Capitals’ and Flyers’ seasons coming down to the wire in Game 82, Washington emerged victorious in a 2-1 win over their longtime rival to capture a spot in the playoffs.
Philadelphia didn’t make it easy. Goals from Alex Ovechkin and Erik Johnson kept the score even late into the game, bringing the Capitals’ fate down to the final minutes. In the end, John Tortorella pulled goaltender Samuel Ersson in a last-ditch effort to win in regulation and TJ Oshie scored the team’s most important goal of the season without a goalie in net.
Now, they’re on to the playoffs.
“There’s certainly been bumps in the road, there’s been adversity, but this team has answered the bell every single time,” said goaltender Charlie Lindgren. “It’s such a privilege to play for these guys. We’ve got guys out there competing as hard as they can, we got a great staff here, and it’s been an incredible journey.”
Like so many games this season, Tuesday night came down to a single goal in the Capitals’ favor. The Flyers fought until the final horn — outshooting the Caps 28-18 and 13-6 in the third alone — but a strong performance from Lindgren and a season-high 32 blocked shots kept Philadelphia from capturing a lead. When the clock ran out, players swarmed on the ice in glee.
“It felt extremely sweet,” Lindgren said of the moment. “There was a lot of relief there, I’d say. You talk about the guys and their faces. They know how hard it’s been and their faces said it all to me. Every single guy in this room has earned it. We’ve earned the chance to go play in the playoffs.”
Even head coach Spencer Carbery, who has remained steadfast in his belief in his group, was thrown upon actually achieving that goal.
“Pretty surreal,” he said. “I don’t think I actually conceptualized this moment of us reaching our goal to get back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And then when it happens, you’re a little bit taken aback. (I’m) just proud. Really, really proud of the group
The Capitals’ chances of making it to this point were slim for much of the season. They ranked second-last in the Metropolitan Division at the All-Star Break, dealt away pieces at the trade deadline, and floundered in early April. But with a months-long playoff push and three straight wins in the final week, they fought their way in.
“I think it just shows the character in the room,” TJ Oshie said after the win. “Not to say that the other teams in this race haven’t gone through their fair share of ups and downs, but from start to finish, losing Backy (Nicklas Backstrom), losing Kuzy (Evgeny Kuznetsov) — your one-two punch up in the middle of the ice. Guys getting hurt recently. I don’t know how many games we lost in a row there a couple weeks ago. So for the guys to fight back, it’s good. Momentum’s on our side.”
In his postgame locker room speech, Carbery highlighted his team’s resiliency over a tumultuous 82 games.
“Wow, wow, what a moment,” he said. “And you guys, I’m so f–proud of this group. This group was counted out months ago. ‘No, they won’t be able to achieve this. No, that’s it, they’re done. No, they’re not going to be able to make it to the playoffs and be a playoff team.’
“And what this team and the character inside this room, what it continued to do day after day after day: A, came to f– work, put their hard hats on, whether it was practice, whether it was film, but B, showed up every f– night: on the road, out west, we’d have a tough night. The next night we would f—fight and respond and find a way to win hockey games. No matter what anybody outside this f– room said. I’m so f– proud of this group. Congratulations.”
This group ❤️#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/u8c1CK085R
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 17, 2024
The Capitals spent last spring watching the playoffs from afar, missing the postseason for the first time in eight years. After feeling the sting of a regular-season exit, returning to the postseason felt particularly sweet.
“It means a lot,” Oshie said. “Once you win one time, the regular season just doesn’t have as much meaning as a playoff game. So to get back there is going to be super special and definitely won’t take it for granted. So the boys will be ready to rock.”
Just making it to the playoffs took months of fighting from this Capitals squad; they now match up with the Presidents’ Trophy-winning New York Rangers. The Rangers will likely prove a difficult challenger: not only have they massively outperformed the Caps in the regular season, but the Capitals’ relentless playoff push left little time to rest and recover ahead of the matchup. And yet, the Capitals have overcome the odds before. They’re ready to try and do so again.
“Everybody’s going to say we’ve got no business being here, the goal differential, blah, blah, blah — that’s going to be the narrative,” Carbery said. “And that’s fine. It’s warranted. It’s a fact. But I know this group isn’t just going to be content showing up in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We want to go and put our best foot forward — show what we’re capable of doing as a group and play well in all these games right up to our standard. And if that’s good enough to win some games and knock off an opponent, we’ll find out.”
