It took one of the worst teams in the league against one of the hottest for the Washington Capitals to lock down their 7th playoff appearance in 8 years.
The Ottawa Senators lost to the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs in a shootout last night. Coupled with a 2-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings, the Capitals now have a seat at the dance.
With 99 points, the Capitals sit second in the Metro behind the New York Rangers. The Caps are one point in front of the Islanders and four in front of the struggling Penguins who each have three games left. The Capitals have just two games remaining this season - one against the Bruins on Wednesday and the final game on Saturday against the Rangers.
If the Capitals can win both games, they will end the season no worse than third place in the Metro.
If the Capitals end up tying the Islanders, the Caps own the tie-breaker with a better head-to-head record this season.
Needless to say, this will be a tough week for the Caps who would love to enter the playoffs with home ice advantage.
It was yet another historic night for the Capitals as they battled the Detroit Red Wings to the final buzzer in a 2-1 win. Braden Holtby notched his 40th win of the season and the 100th of his young NHL career. Holtby stopped 35 shots in the win and got help from his teammates during a mad-scramble in the closing seconds of the game. The Caps got bodies in front of pucks and held off a frantic Red Wings attack.
"I wouldn't say it's like playoff hockey but it's the closest thing," Matt Niskanen said.
The Caps got goals from Evgeny Kuznetsov and Mike Green, and saw the return of Andre Burakovsky who was called up from Hershey.
Washington did have a scare late in the third when Tom Wilson blocked a shot... with his head. Wilson lay on the ice momentarily before he had to eventually leave the game. There is no new update as of yet, but Wilson is undergoing the leagues concussion protocol. Barry Trotz said they would update us on Wilson's status soon.
Wilson's teammates also named him their player of the game as they placed the 'Honest Abe' top hat on his empty stall.
The Caps return Wednesday against the Bruins who have won 5 in a row and currently sit 7th in the East in a three-way-tie with Pittsburgh and Detroit with 95 points.
More to come...