Capitals playoff hopes at 4%, trail Senators by 5 points
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- Washington Capitals trail the Ottawa Senators by 5 points for the second wild-card spot and trail the Philadelphia Flyers by 5 points for the No. 3 Metro Division seed, with the Capitals holding two regulation wins fewer than Ottawa but eight more than Philadelphia.
- Alex Ovechkin has added 31 goals this season, a stark contrast to a year ago when the Capitals finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference and Ovechkin completed his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal record.
- Three teams — the Detroit Red Wings, New York Islanders, and Columbus Blue Jackets — sit between Washington and Ottawa, while the New York Rangers and Blue Jackets separate the Capitals from Philadelphia in the Metro standings.
- Stathletes projects just a 4.0% playoff probability for Washington, though the Capitals still have a path if they win out and get help from other teams.
- The Capitals' schedule resumes Wednesday at the Toronto Maple Leafs (7:30 p.m., ESPN+), continues with a home-and-home against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday (ABC) and Sunday (TNT), and concludes Tuesday at the Columbus Blue Jackets.
- The regular season ends April 16 across the NHL, with non-playoff teams turning attention to the draft lottery where Penn State forward Gavin McKenna sits atop prospect rankings.
Why it matters: The Capitals went from the best record in the Eastern Conference last season to clinging to a 4% playoff shot, a reversal that puts one of the league's marquee franchises on the verge of an early offseason while Ovechkin's late-career goal totals continue to climb.
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