Playoff race heating up for final spots in the East
Going into Thursday, the Flyers (82 points, nine games left) are third in the Metropolitan Division, the Capitals (81 points, 11 games left) hold the second and final wild-card spot and the Red Wings (79 points, 10 games left) are the first team out
Chants of “Let’s Go, Red Wings!” filled the arena in downtown Washington before the home fans drowned them out. A Tuesday night in March felt like a Game 7 in May because of what was at stake.
“Every game feels like a playoff game at this point,” Capitals centre Nic Dowd said after his team’s 4-3 overtime win. “The next game’s going to feel the exact same way.”
That’s the way it is right now in the NHL’s Eastern Conference with three teams — Washington, Detroit and the Philadelphia Flyers — vying for the final two playoff spots and separated by just three points in the standings.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Detroit’s Alex DeBrincat said. “As a hockey player, you want to be competitive at this time of year.”
Going into Thursday, the Flyers (82 points, nine games left) are third in the Metropolitan Division, the Capitals (81 points, 11 games left) hold the second and final wild-card spot and the Red Wings (79 points, 10 games left) are the first team out. New Jersey (76 points, nine games left) and the New York Islanders (75 points, 11 games left) would need some significant help to get in.
A look at how the leading three post-season candidates in the East got here:
Washington Capitals
The biggest reason the Caps beat the odds over the past month by getting back into the race is goaltender Charlie Lindgren, who is 82-0 in his last 10 games with a 2.12 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.
“You can see why this team is where they’re at,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said. “Their goaltender, no one’s playing better in the league right now. They just feed off him. The confidence he brings to that group, you can tell.”
That isn’t lost on Lindgren’s teammates, who have watched him beat out 2022 Cup champion Darcy Kuemper for the starting job and make one 10-bell save after another to keep them in tight games.
Philadelphia Flyers
No disrespect to 31-goal scorer and all-star Travis Konecny, No. 1 defenceman Travis Sanheim or young winger Owen Tippett, but John Tortorella probably will be named coach of the year if the Flyers get in. Question his methods, like healthy scratching captain Sean Couturier or refusing to leave the bench immediately after getting ejected, but they’re working for a blue-collar team in Philly that is winning because of Tortorella in spite of a lack of top-end talent.
Detroit Red Wings
After captain Dylan Larkin was injured March 2 in Detroit’s second consecutive loss and was ruled out for two weeks, Lalonde believed his team was better equipped to handle the absence of the No. 1 centre than when it lost three of four without him earlier this season.
The Red Wings dropped their next five to go on a seven-game skid that threatened to derail their hopes of ending the franchise’s seven-year post-season drought. They’ve steadied the ship, picking up three of a possible six points, since Larkin returned.