The Washington Capitals have watched their playoff chances slowly rise thanks to a three-game win streak, while the Detroit Red Wings and the New York Islanders suffered devastating losses in recent days. Washington took care of business with a home-and-home sweep against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who iced less-than-full-strength lineups, over the weekend to stay in the playoff hunt. Alex Ovechkin made it clear he has not yet decided on his potential retirement, with his team one win (and some help) away from a return to the postseason party next weekend.
Capitals Sweep Penguins to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
Washington faced a pair of must-win games against Pittsburgh this weekend, but the Capitals received some luck after the Penguins clinched their playoff spot on April 9 following a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils. This allowed Pittsburgh head coach Dan Muse to give key players such as Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang some rest in the first of the two meetings against Washington.
The Capitals and Penguins exchanged seven goals in a wild second period on Saturday afternoon, including several milestone markers for Washington skaters: Aliaksei Protas notched his 25th goal of the season to open the scoring, Tom Wilson netted his 30th of the season, and Ryan Leonard scored twice to reach the 20-goal plateau. Ilya Protas hopped on the milestone train by scoring his first NHL goal in the third period to give the Capitals a 5-3 lead, while Ovechkin scored an empty-net goal for his 32nd of the campaign to finalize a 6-3 win for Washington.
Related: Capitals’ Ilya Protas on NHL Debut, Playing with Brother, and Ovi & Plans for the Future
On Sunday, Washington blanked Pittsburgh 3-0 in the 100th all-time meeting between Ovechkin and Crosby. Connor McMichael scored twice in a three-point outing, while Logan Thompson made 24 saves for his fourth shutout this season. Still, the topic of conversation was clearly whether this was Ovechkin’s final home game at Capital One Arena.
Ovechkin Waves Off Handshakes With Penguins
Capitals fans provided their captain with a minute-long ovation prior to the game, followed by chants of “one more year” directed at the 40-year-old superstar to return to the Beltway for the 2026-27 season. Following the 3-0 win on Sunday, the Penguins lingered on the ice to offer the ultimate sign of respect for an outgoing star of the game: a respect-filled postgame handshake.
Ovechkin would not accept the gesture and explained he has not yet made a decision regarding his future in Washington. “I don’t decide it yet,” Ovechkin said about NHL retirement postgame. “I don’t know. Thanks for them to wait out there, but I’m going to see Sid (Crosby) right now, and Gino (Evgeni Malkin), after the interview, and we’ll talk.”
Ovechkin’s mindset was still on the Capitals’ playoff battle with one crucial game still remaining on the slate. Washington will play a road contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena tomorrow night. If the Philadelphia Flyers lose to the Carolina Hurricanes in any fashion on Monday evening, the Capitals could be playing for a chance to steal a playoff spot on Tuesday night.
Capitals’ Two Slim Playoff Scenarios
Washington does not control its own fate as it heads into the final game of the season. Philadelphia has that honor with 94 points and a 41-27-2 record. The Flyers host the Hurricanes on Monday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena. A Philadelphia win of any variety will give them 96 points, putting them out of the Capitals’ reach (a 42-30-9 record and 93 points with one game left).
Related: Flyers Can’t Wait to Make Their Playoff Push
Washington can still make the playoffs in two ways: If the Capitals beat the Blue Jackets and the Flyers manage one point in their final two games, Washington will match up against Pittsburgh in the first round. If the Capitals get the game against Columbus to overtime and the Flyers lose both games in regulation, Washington will slip into the postseason due to holding the regulation wins tiebreaker over both Philadelphia and Columbus.
It was always a long shot for the Capitals to climb back into the playoff race this season. However, a 7-3-0 record in the last 10 games has kept things interesting in Washington. Now, all Capitals fans can do is watch the action unfold over the next 48 hours to see if their team can somehow extend this magical run for a few more weeks.
