The Washington Capitals are nearly out of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card race after a night that narrowed the field and tightened the math around their season. Washington still has a path to the playoffs, but it now runs through the Metropolitan Division’s third spot, not the easier wild-card route.
Philadelphia lost to the Detroit Red Wings 6-3 at Little Caesars Arena, the New York Islanders beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 and the Columbus Blue Jackets were shut out by the Buffalo Sabres 5-0. Those results left four teams still alive for the Metro’s third playoff spot: the Flyers with 92 standings points, the Islanders with 91, the Blue Jackets with 90 and the Capitals with 89.
That gap matters because all four clubs have three games remaining, and the ceiling is close enough to keep Washington alive. The Flyers can reach 98 points, the Islanders 97, the Blue Jackets 96 and the Capitals 95. Washington trails Philadelphia by three points, but it has clinched the Regulation Wins tiebreaker over the other three Metro clubs, which means the Capitals would get in if they tie any of those teams at 95 points.
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The weekend schedule may decide whether Ryan Leonard and the Capitals can keep the chase going. Washington will play the Pittsburgh Penguins in a home-and-home, back-to-back, and Pittsburgh already wrapped up the second spot in the Metropolitan Division after beating the New Jersey Devils 5-2. That result left the Penguins with nothing left to gain in the regular season, but it also means they are set up for a first-round matchup with Washington if the Capitals can climb into the Metro’s third slot.
The broader playoff board got even tighter when the Ottawa Senators beat the Florida Panthers 5-1 and jumped to 94 points. Ottawa now needs two more points in its final three games to secure the second wild-card position, and the Senators hold two more regulation wins than the Capitals. That leaves Washington with less room to chase the East’s wild-card spot and more reason to focus on the Metropolitan path, where every point in the final week still carries weight.
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Washington’s remaining games are at Pittsburgh, at home against Pittsburgh and then at Columbus. Philadelphia finishes at Winnipeg, home against Carolina and home against Montreal. The Islanders have Ottawa, Montreal and Carolina left, while Columbus closes with Montreal, Boston and Washington. For the Capitals, that final meeting with the Blue Jackets may end up carrying the most consequence of all.
