WASHINGTON (7News) — Many teams are making a final playoff push in the next month and a half. For the Washington Capitals, their goal is to maintain their position atop the Metropolitan Division in the National Hockey League (NHL).

After a nine-day break across the NHL, the Capitals took the ice Thursday for the second time this week at MedStar Capitals IcePlex. Practices have been off to a good start so far, but the team understands that the real test will come when the puck drops for real during this Saturday’s matchup with the Penguins in Pittsburgh.

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“We battled today, a lot of battle drills, but nothing’s like a game,” said Caps center, Pierre-Luc Dubois. “That first period will be important to keep things simple and really just get back into it.”

The Capitals should be well-rested after the break. Washington was just one of a handful of teams that didn’t have a player participating in the Four Nations Tournament. Winger Tom Wilson thinks could help the Caps down the road.

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“I think in a couple of months here, it will have been nice to have this week off and have a bit of a break and reset so that you’re feeling good going into the last chunk of hockey,” said Wilson.

With only 27 games left to be played in the regular season, it will be up to the Capitals to determine their fate.

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“We know the jobs not done, there’s a lot of hockey left to be played. A lot can happen in these last 20-something games,” said DuBois.

“I think we’ve put ourselves in a good position but it doesn’t really matter what’s gone on to this point,” said Wilson. “Our games have been good, we feel solid as a group, but meaningful hockey is coming and we’ve got to be ready for it.”

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The Capitals and Penguins will face off on Saturday at 3 p.m. and will be on channel 7 ABC (WJLA).