PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 16: T.J. Oshie #77 of the Washington Capitals celebrates his third period empty-net goal against the Philadelphia Flyers with his teammates on the bench at the Wells Fargo Center on April 16, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With tonight's win, the Capitals have reached the NHL playoffs. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images

NHL Playoff Picture 2024: Bracket Standings, Wild Card Race Before Final Games

Erik BeastonApr 17, 2024

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.

Eastern Conference Standings and Bracket

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Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 15: Artemi Panarin #10 of the New York Rangers celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in the third period against the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden on April 15, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)

Eastern Conference Standings

p-New York Rangers
x-Carolina Hurricanes
y-Florida Panthers
x-Boston Bruins
x-Toronto Maple Leafs
x-Tampa Bay Lightning
x-New York Islanders
x-Washington Capitals

Playoff Bracket (as of April 17)

New York Rangers (Metropolitan Division 1) vs. Washington Capitals (Wildcard 2)
Carolina Hurricanes (M2) vs. New York Islanders (M3)
Florida Panthers (Atlantic Division 1) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (Wildcard 1)
Boston Bruins (A2) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (A3)

x-clinched playoff spot, p-President's Cup, y-clinched division

Western Conference Bracket

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DALLAS, TX - APRIL 13: Matt Duchene #95 of the Dallas Stars handles the puck against the Seattle Kraken at the American Airlines Center on April 13, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images)

Western Conference Standings

y-Dallas Stars
y-Vancouver Canucks
x-Winnipeg Jets
x-Colorado Avalanche
x-Edmonton Oilers
x-Nashville Predators
x-Vegas Golden Knights
x-Los Angeles Kings

Playoff Bracket (as of April 17)

Dallas Stars (Central Division 1) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (Wildcard 2)
Winnipeg Jets (C2) vs. Colorado Avalanche (C3)
Vancouver Canucks (Pacific Division 1) vs. Nashville Predators (WC1)
Edmonton Oilers (P2) vs. Los Angeles Kings (P3)

x-clinched playoffs, y-clinched division

Washington Capitals Clinch Final Playoff Spot

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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 16: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates his goal against Samuel Ersson #33 of the Philadelphia Flyers at 18:08 of the first period at the Wells Fargo Center on April 16, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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.