WASHINGTON, DC — The 2025-26 Washington Capitals aren’t dead yet.
Two days after a 7-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils looked like it might put the playoffs out of reach, the Capitals kept themselves in the race on Saturday night, beating the Buffalo Sabres in a 6-2 offensive showcase.
Washington now sits just one point out of a playoff spot with five games remaining on the regular-season schedule. With the Capitals (87 points), the Columbus Blue Jackets (88) the Philadelphia Flyers (88), the Detroit Red Wings (88), the Ottawa Senators (88), and the New York Islanders (9) all so close in the standings, the odds still aren’t in the Caps’ favor, but they’ve shown they’re not going down without a fight.
“We know our backs are against the wall here,” said Connor McMichael, who scored two points (1g, 1a) on Saturday. “It seems like we’ve got to run the table, and that’s what we’re prepared to do.”
Brandon Duhaime dubbed the group the “Cockroach Caps” for its ability to stay alive in dire straights, and the nickname feels more and more applicable with each victory.
“We’ve got to keep stacking wins together,” Dylan Strome said. “(We’ve won) four of our last five now, so we’re putting ourselves in a good spot. Cockroach Caps, as Duhaime says.”
The Sabres have a 35-12-4 record in their last 51 games — going from the second-worst team in the East on December 2 to clinching a playoff spot for the first time in 15 seasons — but the Capitals got points in all three games they played, beating them twice in the last month. Washington has now won eight of its last 12 games.
“There’s no quit,” said Ryan Leonard. “I think everyone in this group, you look to the left and right of you, you trust that guy. And you know they’re going to give 110 percent, each and every night and each shift. We have a great brotherhood in this locker room, and there’s no quit.”
Connor McMichael attributed that resiliency to the Capitals’ veterans.
“I think our leaders drive the bus,” he said. “Obviously Willy (Tom Wilson), and O (Alex Ovechkin), and Stromer (Strome), and Roysie (Matt Roy). Those guys have really picked up the slack and really dragged us into the fight. I think we’re just prepared every game and [know] it’s going to be a fight.”
Head coach Spencer Carbery praised that locker room camaraderie before citing the team’s competitiveness as another major factor — something that’s become more critical in the comedown from last season’s success.
“Everyone wants to win in this league, but there’s there’s a competitive juice that, can you get into one more notch, and I felt like a lot through this year, our group has continued to do,” Carbery said. “When it’s looked really dark — and ‘Hm, this isn’t a good situation,’ or ‘That wasn’t a great performance. Let’s see what this game looks like,’ they respond, and tonight was no different.”
The out-of-town scoreboard has also given the Capitals a huge boost, with losses from the New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets both helping Washington on Saturday. Capitals players have taken a wide variety of approaches when it comes to scoreboard watching: Strome paid close attention to the other games in the Eastern Conference, while Leonard didn’t know the results until reporters told him postgame.
McMichael sat somewhere in the middle.
“During the game, [I wasn’t watching] at all, but honestly the first thing I do after the game is check,” he said. “I just heard that the Isles and Columbus lost. So it’s out of our control, but that’s definitely nice to see.”
Carbery paid enough attention to know where the Capitals stood, but he told reporters the out-of-town help didn’t affect his approach to the Capitals’ odds.
“I mean, I’m not going to sit here and say that I haven’t looked at the standings in the last 24 hours, but it’s irrelevant if we’re not getting two points and we’re not playing well and we’re not winning hockey games,” he said. “So tonight is a huge two points for our group, and we’re going to get on the road, and we’re going to try to replicate a lot of the things that we did tonight in Madison Square.”
For many of the Capitals, the playoff chase is bringing back memories of the 2023-24 season, when Washington made an improbable run to clinch a playoff spot in Game 82. Much like they did that year, Capitals players are hoping to overcome a disappointing record in the middle of the season to fight their way back into a spot.
“I think just obviously not happy with the way December and January went, our two worst months. We put ourselves behind the eight ball, and we’ve just been clawing, it feels like,” Strome said. “Similar to two years ago, I guess. It feels like if we [lost] that game in Buffalo three weeks ago, it feels like our season’s over, and we just consistently find a way.
“We’ve obviously got some help around the league. So, you can chalk it up to whatever. But we found a way to win four of the last five and pull ourselves right back into this. And that’s what we’re going to do.”
The schedule won’t make the Capitals’ job any easier: after finishing their back-to-back against the New York Rangers on Sunday, they’ll have just one more home game in the regular season—the second half of yet another back-to-back against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.
The odds are still slim. But even with the end of the season chasing the Capitals down, they’re still in the running.