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The race for the final playoff spot: Western Conference standings Team Pts GR Wins GF 5. Colorado 48 2 13 42 ___________________________ 6. San Jose 47 2 13 33 7. Vancouver 45 2 12 48 Tiebreakers: 1st, Wins; 2nd, Goals for

Remaining schedules: 5th, Colorado Oct. 19 vs. Vancouver (A: 4-8-4) Oct. 27 at Vancouver (H: 8-3-5) 6th, San Jose Oct. 20 at L.A. (H: 10-2-3) Oct. 26 vs. Dallas (A: 2-8-6) 7th, Vancouver Oct. 19 at Colorado (H: 9-3-4) Oct. 27 vs. Colorado (A: 4-6-5)

The skinny: The Caps don’t control their own destiny because if San Jose wins its final two games — at L.A. and home to Dallas — then the Caps are toast, regardless of what they do in a home-and-home against Colorado to end the regular season. But San Jose’s 1-0 win over Colorado on Wednesday was arguably a more favourable result for the Caps than a tie would have been. Yes, it means the Caps now need some help — the most likely scenario being the L.A. Galaxy taking points from San Jose — but because Colorado came up empty, it also means the Caps don’t necessarily have to win their final two games. A win and a tie could well be enough for Vancouver to make the playoffs, and the Caps can thank their improved offensive numbers for that. Goals scored is the second tiebreaker after wins. The eventual No. 5 seed will travel to No. 4 for a one-off wild card game to open the playoffs. That determines the four teams for the conference semifinals, which are two-game aggregate-goals series.