The Capitals have an 8.2 percent chance of making the playoffs as of Friday.
The Washington Capitals are well aware of the situation they're in.
After going on a bit of a run, the Capitals hit a wall on Thursday, falling 7-3 to the New Jersey Devils. That defeat was a major blow to the team's playoff chances, as D.C. now has just six more games to try and sneak in while remaining three points out of a Wild Card spot and four out of third in the Metropolitan Division.
“Our backs are against the wall now. This one stings," Tom Wilson said following Thursday's loss.
The going doesn't get any easier for the Capitals, as they next face a red-hot Buffalo Sabres team that is looking to clinch its first playoff berth since 2011 on Saturday. All the while, while their top competitors in the standings also play and will look to gain ground in key matchups.
Right now, Washington's odds to make the playoffs sit at 8.2 percent, per MoneyPuck, and things appear bleak.
"I don't think we can drop another one," Pierre-Luc Dubois said. "That's just the spot we're in right now."
That being said, play needs to improve across the board.
The Capitals have given up at least four goals in four consecutive outings, and at least three in six straight. Logan Thompson has started nine straight games, too, and was put in difficult spots on Thursday and over this last stretch.
D.C.'s loss to New Jersey was a glaring example of the team's defensive deficiencies, as Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt combined for 10 points while the Devils' top line dominated pretty much every shift.
"The little mistakes add up, and the top players in the league don't need much wiggle room to capitalize on (those)," Matt Roy said.
Though the offense has been able to pick things up over this last stretch, with top-6 contributors like Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson stepping up to get on the scoresheet, Thursday was a bit of a step back as the group failed to generate a lot of high-quality opportunities on net.
And, while the power play has been finding its footing with goals in four straight, production and execution has been touch-and-go, and the offense needs to be more consistent.
"It's tough. You score one goal and everybody's on us, 'You're not scoring enough goals.' Then you score five, six and give up five, six, and that's not good, either," Wilson added. "We've got to find a middle ground at this time of year just to know when we make plays and when we have that killer instinct and when you just have to throw it in and live to fight another day."
Going into these final games, the Capitals will need to win a good amount of them; at this time, there's not exactly a magic number, though time is quickly winding down.
That said, Washington is ready to push however it can.
"We will fight till Game 82, whatever the scenario looks like," coach Spencer Carbery said.