The Washington Capitals’ three-game winning streak has them back in the thick of things in the Eastern Conference.
After their 4-1 win over the New York Islanders on Monday night, the Capitals are now just two points behind the Islanders for third in the Metropolitan Division, which likely represents their best chance at qualifying for this year’s postseason. The Caps also currently hold a crucial tiebreaker with two more regulation victories. If the two teams were to finish with the same standings points, the team with more regulation wins would make the playoffs.
The Islanders still hold a game in hand, but per Tankathon, have a slightly more challenging remaining schedule than the Capitals.
Screenshot: NHL.com
While they haven’t had the same success against some of the league’s other divisions, the Capitals own a superb record against other Metro teams this year. They are 11-3-2 against them, and their .750 point percentage in divisional games ranks third among Metro teams, behind only Pittsburgh (.800) and Carolina (.767). They have earned at least one point in 10 of their last 11 divisional games (8-1-2), dating back to November 11.
Another Metro team awaits the Capitals in their next game, as they travel to play the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. The Flyers have won just two of their last 10 games and are riding a four-game losing streak.
The Capitals are also not entirely out of the wild card race, as they are six points behind the Buffalo Sabres and five points behind the Boston Bruins, who presently own the first and second wild card playoff spots. The Caps still have two games against the Bruins and two games against the Sabres left on their schedule after the Olympic break.
The Capitals have two games remaining before the league’s two-week hiatus. Once they’re back, the Capitals will likely get one of the most important pieces of their lineup back from injury: centerman Pierre-Luc Dubois.