Unbelievably the very last available spot in the NHL playoffs came down to the very last game of the season not just one or two teams, but for four separate teams that each had a chance to secure a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs! Fortunately for Washington Capitals fans and Downtown D.C. alike, our ticket to the postseason got punched in a shocking end to the season thanks to a last-minute victory and an official tie-breaker!
With the news that the Washington Capitals’ aren’t going to be leaving D.C. for Alexandria, we want to show the team how important they are to the city of Washington!
Why was the Washington Capitals’ last game of the season so important?
During the time of the final game of the season for the Washington Capitals, the last Stanley Cup Playoff spot available was still within reach of four separate teams: the Washington Capitals, the Detroit Red Wings, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Pittsburg Penguins.
By winning their last game of the season yesterday against the Flyers, the Washington Capitals finished the season with 91 points, which was the same amount of points as the Detroit Red Wings, but thanks to the NHL’s first official tie-breaker rule, which counts “Regulation Wins”, the Washington Capitals (32 regulation wins) beat out the Red Wings (only 27 regulation wins).
Washington Capitals’ chances in the playoffs
As the last team to secure its spot in the Stanely Cup Playoff, the Washington Capitals will be playing against the New York Rangers, which has been ranked as one of the stronger teams in the league this season and finished the season winning the Presidents’ Trophy as a result of them having the best overall record for the regular season.
This means that the Capitals as the #8 seed will need to upset the #1 seed in the first round to move on, which according to NHL statisticians, only has about an 18% chance of happening.
When are the capitals playing?
The first game of the seven-game series for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be in New York City on Sunday, April 21st, at 3 pm at Madison Square Garden this weekend for game 1, however, the full schedule of the series has not been released.
The NHL uses a 2-2-1-1-1 format of where games are being played, the higher seed team gets home advantage for games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while the lower-seeded team hosts Games 3, 4, and 6.
This means that there are going to be at least two home playoff games at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. that we are going to need to go all out for!