The Washington Capitals clinched the NHL’s final playoff spot with a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night.
Alex Ovechkin and TJ Oshie each scored a goal in the victory. Oshie’s game-winning goal came three minutes into the third period and the game was tied 1-1, scoring into an empty net to give the Capitals the lead. Erik Johnson scored Philadelphia’s only goal, but the Flyers were also denied a goal in the first period when a referee blew his whistle before the puck trickled into goaltender Charlie Lindgren.
Heading into Tuesday night’s game, the Capitals, Flyers, Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins still had a chance to clinch the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia pulled its goalie late in a tie because it needed a win to keep its playoff hopes alive. However, with the Red Wings’ victory over the Montreal Canadiens, the Flyers were eliminated from the playoffs. All Washington needed was a win, in any way shape or form, and the Capitals held on after Oshie’s goal.
The Capitals are now engaged in a playoff game against the Presidents’ Trophy winners New York Rangers. The Rangers and Capitals split their season series, each winning two games apiece.
As for the rest of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Florida Panthers clinched the Atlantic Division title with a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
That dropped the Boston Bruins, who lost 3-1 to the Ottawa Senators, to second place in the division and sets them up to face Toronto in the first round. Meanwhile, the Panthers will face the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Carolina Hurricanes will face the New York Islanders, who clinched a playoff spot on Monday night.
All eight Western Conference playoff teams have been named, but there are still matchups to be determined. As of this writing, the only game scheduled in the Western Conference is a Central Division game between Colorado and Winnipeg. The Jets beat the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night, meaning they will have home-field advantage against the Avalanche.
The Vancouver Canucks are three points ahead of the Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division and will be in action on 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 finish the season as Central Division champions, but their first-round series is still up in the air. The Vegas Golden Knights currently occupy the second wild card spot, but they could leapfrog the Los Angeles King into third place in the Pacific if they win their final two games. Vegas plays Chicago on Tuesday and Anaheim on Thursday.
(Top photo of Alex Ovechkin and Samuel Ersson: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)