NHL Playoff Picture 2024: Bracket Standings, Wild Card Race ...
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The 16 teams who will vie for the Stanley Cup have been determined after the Washington Capitals secured the final spot in the NHL playoffs Tuesday night.
The Alexander Ovechkin-led team bested the Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1, and set themselves on a collision course with the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed and, arguably, the best team in the league, the New York Rangers.
What other match-ups await in this year's postseason and what do the standings look like entering the final few games left in the regular season?
Find out with this preview of the upcoming playoffs.
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Eastern Conference Standings
Playoff Bracket (as of April 17)
x-clinched playoff spot, p-President's Cup, y-clinched division
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Entering Tuesday's slate of games, one playoff spot remained.
Exiting them, zero.
The Washington Capitals clinched the second wildcard and final playoff spot with a 2-1 win over Philadelphia, eliminating the Flyers from contention in the process.
The face of the organization, Alex Ovechkin, opened scoring for the Caps off assists from Dylan McIlrath and T.J. Oshie. It would not be the last time Oshie's name would appear on the stat sheet.
Before that, Flyers defenseman Erik Johnson found the net, tying things up in the pivotal divisional match-up.
Oshie would break the tie and win the game for his team, scoring an empty-net goal on a pass from Nic Dowd.
The Caps return to the playoffs after a one-year absence. Previously, the team had made the postseason in eight consecutive years. It will not be easy for Ovechkin, Oshie, and Co. to advance beyond the opening round as they draw the New York Rangers, winners of the President's Cup for best win-loss record in the NHL.
Rangers leading scorer Artemi Panarin (120 points) and goalie Jonathan Quick (18-6-2, .911 save percentage) make for potent opposition for Washington on both sides of the puck. Panarin found the net twice in four previous games against the Capitals and will look to keep that trend alive in the playoffs.
The teams split the season series, 2-2, with the home team winning each encounter.
