For the eighth straight season, the Washington Capitals will compete for the Stanley Cup.
The Capitals on Sunday officially clinched a playoff berth when the New York Islanders lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2, guaranteeing Peter Laviolette’s squad at least the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference.
The streak of eight seasons is currently the second-longest in the NHL, behind only the Pittsburgh Penguins (16 seasons).
The berth continues Washington’s remarkable stretch of consistency since Alex Ovechkin came to town. The Capitals have now qualified for the playoffs in 14 of the last 15 seasons. Going back even before the team drafted Ovechkin, the postseason berth is the 32nd in the past 39 seasons.
With seven games remaining in the regular season, the Capitals are currently slotted as the second wild card team from the Eastern Conference. As of Monday afternoon, that would lead to a playoff series versus the top-seeded Florida Panthers (54-15-6).
The Capitals (42-23-10, 94 points) trail the Boston Bruins (46-24-5, 97 points) by three points for the first wild card spot. Washington is also only three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins (43-23-11, 97 points) for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
Making the playoffs is an important first step for any NHL team, but for the Capitals in recent years it’s also been the final step. Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, the Capitals have fallen in the first round of the playoffs in each of the past three seasons.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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