Caps beat Canes, become first to clinch playoffs
The Washington Capitals have the NHL’s best record by a significant margin and seem to be well on their way to winning the second Presidents’ Trophy in team history. On Tuesday, they became the first team in the NHL to clinch a playoff spot this season when they beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 in overtime thanks to Alex Ovechkin’s league-leading 42nd goal.
The Capitals didn’t even need to win Tuesday to clinch the spot — simply getting the game to overtime and guaranteeing them a point in the standings was enough to secure their spot.
It took the Capitals just 69 games to clinch their playoff spot with their 50th victory of the season.
Next on the agenda for the Capitals is clinching the Metropolitan Division crown, and with 105 points they have 20-point lead over the second-place New York Rangers and New York Islanders. That type of deficit would be almost impossible to overcome at this point in the season.
They also have a 14-point lead in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy.
Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals clinched a playoff spot on Tuesday night. (USATSI)
