Since Thanksgiving Day, when their head coach was fired and the season seemed finished, all the Capitals could hope was to methodically grind their way back into playoff contention.
If all went well, the thinking went, maybe they would have an outside shot at the playoffs during the season’s final week. It was a thin branch to stand upon. But it was also all they had. Somehow, it came to pass.
With three games left in the regular season — all at Verizon Center — Bruce Boudreau and the Caps make a final postseason push beginning with tonight’s Southeast Division showdown against the Carolina Hurricanes, whom they trail by two points for the division lead and the No. 3 seed in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“It’s the most important week in my career,” said Caps forward Alex Ovechkin, whose 62 goals and 47 assists make him a leading contender for theHart Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s most valuable player.
Despite winning eight of their last nine games — including five on the road — the Caps (40-31-8, 88 points) remain in ninth-place in the Eastern Conference. They can still catch Carolina (42-31-6, 90 points) for the division title. And Boston (40-28-11), Philadelphia (40-28-11) and the New York Rangers (40-27-11) are all within reach as well at 91 points each. But it will likely take three wins and some help for the Caps to claim their first playoff berth since 2003.
“This is probably the best time of my entire life right now,” said defenseman Mike Green. “For a lot of us [the Carolina game] is the biggest game we’ve ever played in.”
Carolina is 16-5-2 since Feb. 12 despite a slew of injuries to key players. But according to the Raleigh News & Observer, both left wing Ray Whitney (ankle surgery) and right wing Justin Williams (ACL) could play tonight. Williams had 143 total points the previous two seasons and Whitney has 25 goals and 34 assists this year.
