Caps (41-21-10, 92 points) at Devils (33-33-4, 70 points)
What » Game #73
Where » Prudential Center
When » 7 p.m.
TV » CSN HD
Radio » WFED-1500 AM
Nine game winning streak over, the Caps head to Newark where they might face a bigger challenge than a back-to-back at the Red Wings: Cooling off the Devils. New Jersey is an absurd 23-4-2 since Jan. 9 and suddenly the jokes about their playoff chances have turned serious. Still have to jump Toronto, Carolina and Buffalo. But with 12 games left it isn’t as impossible as that once seemed. Last night’s loss to Ottawa, however, has dampened the enthusiasm around these parts, though. A loss tonight would pretty much be curtains for New Jersey.
Washington probably isn’t sure what to expect tonight. The Caps last saw New Jersey near its nadir on Dec. 21. They won that game. 5-1. They also beat the Devils 7-2 on Oct. 9, but lost 5-0 in their lone visit to Newark on Nov. 22.
“It looks like they believe again,” said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. “They beat us here 5-0, but we were pretty bad. But the two games at [Verizon Center] it just looked like they were disarray. Now they’re compact, disciplined. They know exactly what they’re doing. And they’re on a mission.”
Meanwhile, Washington can clinch a Stanley Cup playoff berth as soon as tonight with a victory and a Carolina loss in regulation. The Hurricanes – currently in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and on the outside looking in – would be stuck on 74 points with a loss with just 10 games remaining. The Caps would be at 94 points. Even if they lost the rest of their games and Carolina won out that would leave the two teams tied.
The first tiebreak is actually the team that plays the fewest number of games. Can’t see the NHL allowing a postponed game to happen so that’s out. The second tiebreak is non-shootout wins. If the Caps won in regulation or overtime tonight they’d clinch with this tiebreaker. If they did earn a shootout victory then both teams would have four on the season and be even on victories. That brings us to No. 3 – points vs. that particular opponent. Washington has dominated the season series 5-0 with only one of those victories beyond regulation. The two teams meet just once more on March 29 at Verizon Center.
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