The Washington Capitals' playoff bid could come to an end by Sunday night, depending on how the weekend plays out for them and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Washington Capitals are on very, very thin ice.
Going into the weekend, that ice could shatter and the team's playoff push could be done by Sunday night -- and even worse, it could come at the hands of the rival Pittsburgh Penguins.
Washington sits at 77 points after back-to-back losses to the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning. Meanwhile, the Penguins pulled off a 2-0 win over the Nashville Predators and now sit seven points in front of D.C. for the second Wild Card spot.
The Capitals have six games to go, meaning 12 more possible points. Their next game is Sunday against the New York Rangers -- and it's a must-win game. In fact, all the remaining games technically are. Pittsburgh plays the Boston Bruins on Saturday and the New Jersey Devils on Sunday. Depending on how these teams perform, it could all be over soon for D.C.
If the Capitals drop Sunday's game in regulation and the Penguins win both games in any fashion this weekend, Washington will not be able to pull within Pittsburgh and be mathematically eliminated, even with a perfect 5-0 record.
In this case, the Capitals could only reach 87 points, which would fall short and not meet the threshold of 88.
Of course, this scenario would have to play out exactly according to plan, and the Bruins, who secured the Presidents' Trophy on Thursday, and Devils are not easy opponents for the Penguins, who have had their own share of struggles.
Ultimately, though, it would be a disappointing end to a disappointing season that was riddled with injuries and inconsistencies that even impressive offseason acquisitions like Dylan Strome and Darcy Kuemper couldn't stop.
This would be the first time since 2014 that Washington would not qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The team had clinched eight straight playoff berths.
Taking that into account, there could be major changes as general manager Brian MacLellan looks to right the ship and give Alex Ovechkin and the aging core another chance to win.