The Washington Capitals saved their slight playoff hopes alive Saturday with a street win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Now, the Capitals want one other victory in opposition to the Penguins, this time at residence on Sunday afternoon, to remain within the race.
With 91 factors and a 41-30-9 file, the Capitals are three factors behind the third-place Philadelphia Flyers within the Metropolitan Division. A regulation loss to the Penguins (41-23-16, 98 factors) would finish the Capitals’ possibilities, as would a Flyers win Monday evening over the Carolina Hurricanes.
“We simply must get two factors tomorrow,” Alex Ovechkin stated after a 6-3 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday, when he scored his team-leading thirty second purpose of the season. “We’re nonetheless in. So it is a good factor.”
Washington, nevertheless, could possibly be with out middle Pierre-Luc Dubois, who left Saturday’s sport with 13:58 remaining within the second interval when he suffered an upper-body damage crashing into the boards after helping on the primary of Ryan Leonard’s two objectives.
Capitals coach Spencer Carbery instructed reporters after the sport that he would be taught extra on the 27-year-old’s situation later Saturday and have an replace earlier than the sport.
Dubois already has missed 52 video games this season, with most of these attributable to an belly damage he suffered in opposition to the New York Islanders on Oct. 31. In 22 video games since his return on Feb. 5, Dubois has 18 factors (5 objectives, 13 assists).
Pittsburgh’s postseason spot already is clinched, and because the second-place workforce within the Metropolitan Division, the Penguins could have home-ice benefit over the Flyers, Capitals, Islanders or Columbus Blue Jackets — all of whom are preventing for the Japanese Convention’s remaining open playoff spot.
The house loss to the Capitals on Saturday snapped a three-game successful streak for the Penguins, who didn’t play a number of key veterans within the sport, together with 4 of the workforce’s high 5 scorers: Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust and Evgeni Malkin. Defenseman Kris Letang additionally sat out.
It is unsure if any of these gamers will return to the ice earlier than the common season ends.
“It is a fast turnaround,” Penguins coach Dan Muse stated after Saturday’s loss. “Seems like we have had plenty of these right here not too long ago. … It may be necessary for us to regroup, have the ability to have a look at some issues so we will do it higher.”
Anthony Mantha did play Saturday and recorded his team-leading thirty first purpose.
Ought to the Capitals win and the Flyers lose to Carolina both in regulation or extra time, Washington would want to win Tuesday evening at Columbus. The Capitals will stay alive so long as Philadelphia, which hosts Montreal on Tuesday, doesn’t accumulate two factors out of its remaining two video games.
Ought to the Capitals and Flyers tie within the standings, Washington would advance to the playoffs as a result of it owns the regulation-wins tiebreaker over Philadelphia (35 to 26).
Sunday will begin a two-game street journey for the Penguins, who will end their season Tuesday at St. Louis.
Sunday’s sport additionally could possibly be the ultimate residence sport for Ovechkin. The NHL’s all-time-leading purpose scorer, 40, is a free agent as soon as the season ends. Nonetheless, Ovechkin has not decided on coming again for a twenty second season.
–Discipline Degree Media
