Washington has a slim chance of making the playoffs with just eight games to go, but not all hope is lost in the dressing room.
ARLINGTON, V.A. -- The Washington Capitals are well aware that they're skating on thin ice. However, they haven't fallen through yet, and that's the message in the dressing room.
Where things stand now, there's a .6 percent chance that Washington will make the playoffs. While those chances are slim, there's still a chance.
"There's not gonna be any quit here," Tom Wilson said. "That's kind of been our mentality... we just try to work as hard as we can and see what happens, so doesn't change now. Obviously [Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Penguins] was a big game, but we'll move past it, and we gotta get ready for playing for our lives. Every point matters."
Washington sits six points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second Wild Card spot, and the New York Islanders hold the first spot with 83 points. Pittsburgh also has a game in hand.
Looking at other teams on the outside, the Capitals are three points behind the Florida Panthers, who are just three points within playoff position. Washington is also tied with the Buffalo Sabres in the race with 76 points, and the Ottawa Senators are still in it with 75 points.
With just eight games left on the circuit, the current circumstances aren't exactly promising. However, the Capitals refuse to give up, citing their winning culture and pedigree that has led to eight straight playoff berths since 2015.
"We just expect it," Nic Dowd said of the prospect of the postseason. "Obviously, not happy with where we're at right now. But I think all we can control is how we play the next game, how we play the next shift and trying to affect the outcome in a positive way.
"Guys in here know well enough that weirder things have happened in sports and they happen every single year, so you just have to prepare every game to play well."
Washington also got a much-needed boost with John Carlson drawing back in after missing three months due to a fractured skull. He has three points in two games since his return, and his leadership and voice are imperative to the team's success.
"We want to play good hockey no matter what. Doesn't matter if we're in or out or somewhere in the middle. We're professionals, we want to come and work," Carlson said. "I've been on the outside looking in and seeing them firsthand how everyone's doing and working and battling and fighting for everybody. Hasn't probably gone as well as anyone would hope, but that's what we expect from each other: good efforts and to win hockey games."
The Capitals are also no strangers to adversity, and that is also interfering with the playoff push. They continue to navigate a plethora of injuries down the stretch, with forward Sonny Milano now dealing with an upper-body injury and Craig Smith day-to-day with a lower-body ailment.
However, it's these situations that actually bring the team closer and inspires the players to fight for and lean on one another.
"Everyone realizes how important of games these are," Dylan Strome said. "You see the benches' reaction whenever we're scoring a goal or making a big play. Guys are sacrificing their body to block shots and do whatever it takes... we're battling and hopefully, we can find a way to create momentum here and find a way to get these last eight wins."
If the Capitals miss out on the postseason, it would be the first time since 2014 that they won't be competing for the Stanley Cup. With that comes the potential for a lottery pick, as well as possible major changes if general manager Brian MacLellan wants to clean house.
At the end of the day, the players know that the margin for error is small and that management decisions and fallout from an unsuccessful season aren't in their hands. However, they can control how they play, and the only thing to do now is to try and rise to the occasion.
"There's still hope, right? Still chance, and I don't even want to put that in my head that we're gonna miss it," Evgeny Kuznetsov said, adding, "We still working on that and I know there is not a lot of chances left after [the Pittsburgh loss]... we got to believe in something and got to make sure that we do everything that's in our power to [push for a spot]."