Last night was simple for the Washington Capitals: win and they’re in. And win they did. Against all odds, the Capitals are heading to the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs after defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in Washington’s final game of the season. That is a sentence that no one thought they would be typing back in October, but here we are.
Was last night the Capitals’ best game of the year? Not by any means, but it got the job done. They were outshot 28-18 by a team desperate for a regulation win to keep their season alive, but Lindgren and the defense helped compensate for that. Last night would have been a good opportunity to get the offense going to try and build some momentum going into the playoffs, but an Alex Ovechkin goal and TJ Oshie empty netter were enough to get the win. This win, by the way, eliminated the Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins from the playoff race.
Three Takeaways:
- Charlie Lindgren is a huge part of both why the Capitals were able to snag the final Wild Card spot in the East and why the Capitals won last night. Lindgren has 12 wins since March 7, which is the most in the league per Capitals PR. His last two performances, the 2-0 shutout win over the Bruins and last night’s win in Philly on back-to-back nights, have been stellar, especially considering they were must-win situations. Chuck made 27 saves last night, including 13 in the third period to keep the Flyers from taking the lead. This save in the second was particularly incredible:
- Washington’s defense came up big last night, despite being missing some regulars on the blueline and having some younger, less experienced guys in their place. John Carlson skated a team-high 29:20 and led the team in both blocks (9) and shots on goal (4). Martin Fehervary, who has stepped up in the last few games after Nick Jensen’s injury on Saturday, skated 27:02 and had five blocks. Dylan McIlrath, who was called up for Monday’s game against Boston, had three hits and assisted on Alex Ovechkin’s first period goal—this was his first NHL point since March 1, 2023. Vincent Iorio only skated 10:45 but recorded two shots, two hits, and one block.
- Alex Ovechkin’s goal happened pretty early in last night’s game before the Caps punched their ticket to the postseason, so let us remind you: Ovi scored his 31st goal of the season and the 853rd goal of his career last night. That means the Great 8 is only 41 goals away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record. In the grand scheme of things, that feels pretty doable for Ovechkin—and that’s pretty wild.
They Said It:
Alternatively, this: