The Washington Capitals have been an incredible spectacle this season.
From our captain, Alexander Ovechkin, on the Gr8 Chase to break the NHL goal record to us being the very first team to qualify for this year’s playoffs – it’s been a rollercoaster, to say the least!
That being said, the Washington Capitals did something this season that hasn’t been done in the NHL in 45 years!
How the Capitals made history in their 50th season
This season, when the Capitals were the very first team to clinch a spot in the playoffs they became the very first team in 45 years to go from being the very last team to make the playoffs the year before (last season – 2024), to the first to make the playoffs the next (this season)!
The Washington Capitals have managed to secure their spot in the playoffs this year in only 69 games out of their 82-game season!
This is the third time the Capitals have managed to clinch a playoff spot in under 70 games, which is a feat that’s only ever been accomplished by 19 NHL teams.
To put things into perspective, last year it took the Capitals all 82 games to secure their playoff spot… coming down to the final moments of their last game of the season!
Can the Capitals win the Stanley Cup this year?
The NHL playoffs are notoriously difficult to win, with four unique rounds, each with a best-of-seven-games series, and all of the best teams in the NHL putting everything they have into every game – so despite the Capitals’ success this year in the regular season, the playoffs are a completely separate entity.
According to odds set by DraftKings Virginia, the Washington Capitals have the following odds for their playoffs performance this year:
- Metropolitan Division Title: -4000 (Translation: Roughly 97.6% chance of happening)
- Eastern Conference Title: +500 (Translation: Roughly 16.7% chance of happening)
- Stanley Cup Finals: +1100 (Translation: Roughly 8.3% chance of happening)