The Capitals open up about the trade deadline, which is just three weeks away.

ARLINGTON, V.A. — Nic Dowd is no stranger to the NHL, whether it be the gritty on-ice antics or the business that goes on away from the rink. And despite the NHL Trade Deadline being exactly three weeks away and his name coming up in talks, he's not putting much stock into it.

Instead, his focus remains on a playoff push. Right now, Washington is six points out of a playoff spot and, per MoneyPuck, has a 2.2 percent chance of making the postseason with 30 games left on the circuit.

While the standings are important, the Capitals also know in the back of their mind that the next few games will play a role in whether or not the team sells at the March 8 trade deadline.

So for Dowd, who has been a rumored trade chip if the team elects to go in that direction, the team is just trying to stay in the present and play for one another.

"I don't think about it too much," Dowd told The Hockey News on Friday. "Obviously, we want to win hockey games on a day-to-day basis and lump those together, and then you have a good streak and you push towards playoffs. Then, there's no reason to make changes, except maybe to add and get better. That's the goal on a day-to-day basis."

Max Pacioretty, a pending unrestricted free agent who has seen his name come up in rumors, said that it's all part of the business, and agreed with Dowd that, at this point, he's not distracted by it.

"I've never thought about it. I mean, It's something that's out of our control. Where I'm at in my life and my career, my family, definitely don't think about it at all. I can't speak for others, but I mean, we're all professional here," Pacioretty said. "We want to try and make the playoffs and try and make a push, and we'll see what we're able to do."

Pacioretty also said that the team's recent play has been a positive sign that Washington is trending in the right direction, and he hopes that the results start to come with that to avoid splitting up the group.

"I can't speak for everyone, but we really like this group, especially off the ice. This team really cares for one another. They've had a lot of success together and really close teammates. I think that's been voiced around the league, everybody knows that about this team," Pacioretty said. "So definitely don't want to see people go, but you can't really control that situation. I can't speak for everybody, but for myself, you want to try and make the playoffs for the team and that's our goal.

Rasmus Sandin, who was acquired before the deadline last season, said that he has noticed a positive trend in Washington's performance and that the team is stepping up to play for one another as the push continues.

"It's always tough to lose players and stuff like that, even though that might not be the case, it might be the case. But as I said, take it day by day, we're just trying to compete," Sandin said. "That's the strength of our team, too, with how many shots we're blocking and working for each other. Something we definitely want to keep doing. If we keep doing that, hopefully we can make it to the playoffs as well."

And at the end of the day, another vital step is keeping spirits high.

"Take it day by day, just try to get better, try to come down to the rink, have fun, laugh with the guys and just being a good environment down here," Sandin noted.