The Washington Capitals clinched the NHL’s final playoff spot thanks to a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night.
Alex Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie each scored a goal in the victory. Oshie’s game-winning goal came with three minutes to go in the third period and the game tied 1-1, scoring on an empty net to give the Capitals the lead. Erik Johnson scored Philadelphia’s only goal but the Flyers also had a first-period marker disallowed when a referee blew the whistle before the puck trickled in past goalie Charlie Lindgren.
Entering Tuesday night’s action, the Capitals, Flyers, Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins all still had a chance at the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia pulled its goalie late in a tie game because it needed a win to keep its playoff hopes alive. However, with the Red Wings defeating the Montreal Canadiens, the Flyers were eliminated from playoff contention. All Washington needed was a win in any fashion and the Capitals hung on after Oshie’s goal.
The Capitals are now locked into a playoff matchup against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning New York Rangers. The Rangers and Capitals split their season series, each winning two games apiece.
As for the rest of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket, the Florida Panthers clinched the Atlantic Division title with a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
That dropped the Boston Bruins, who lost 3-1 to the Ottawa Senators, into second place in the division and sets them up to play Toronto in the first round. Meanwhile, the Panthers will play the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Carolina Hurricanes will go up against the New York Islanders, who clinched a playoff spot Monday night.
All eight Western Conference playoff teams have been decided, but there are matchups still to be determined. As of this writing, the only set Western Conference matchup is a Central Division matchup between Colorado and Winnipeg. The Jets defeated the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night, which means they’ll have home-ice advantage against the Avalanche.
The Vancouver Canucks are three points up on the Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division and are in action Tuesday against the Calgary Flames. The Oilers have two more games left in their season, including a game against Arizona on Wednesday.
The Dallas Stars will end the season as Central Division champions but their first-round series is still up in the air. The Vegas Golden Knights are currently in the second wild-card spot, but they could jump the Los Angeles King who occupy third in the Pacific if they win their last two games. Vegas plays Chicago on Tuesday and Anaheim on Thursday.
(Top photo of Alex Ovechkin and Samuel Ersson: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
