WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Capitals clinched the Southeast Division title Tuesday night, completing a stark turnaround in a lockout-shortened season with a 4-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets.
Alex Ovechkin scored his league-leading 31st goal, John Erskine cleared two shots off the goal line, and Braden Holtby made 24 saves for the Capitals, who have won 10 of 11 to secure a playoff berth with two games to spare.
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The Capitals were next-to-last in the Eastern Conference as recently as March 21, but Ovechkin and first-year coach Adam Oates have led them to the postseason for the sixth consecutive season, including five Southeast titles.
As the division winner, Washington leapfrogs several teams with better records to enter the playoffs as the conference’s No. 3 seed.
