NHL Playoff Race: Washington Capitals Finishing Strong

The Caps convincing 3-0 win over the division rival Florida Panthers on Saturday has set-up a very interesting final week for the team. The final week of the regular season sees them playing 3 games vs. division opponents, only one of which (Carolina) is still playing for a trip to the play-offs. All 3 games are at home, and none are back-to-back.

Tuesday they host the Carolina Hurricanes, currently tops in the Southeast Division and clinging to hopes of home-ice in the first round of this seasons Stanley Cup playoffs. A win vs. the Hurricanes would tie them in the standings with 90 pts each, though Carolina already owns the tie-breaker having already collected 9 pts vs. the Caps this regular season. With a win, the Caps not only bolster their chances fo leap-frogging Boston or Philadelphia in the standings but may put themselves in a position to leapfrog Carolina for the 3rd seed and home-ice (if  they can outgun the Hurricanes in the last 2 games of the season).

Thursday they host the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team they've beaten 5 games to 2 this season already.

And finally Saturday, they host the Florida Panthers. Their record vs. the Panthers this season is a sketchy 3-3-1 (7pts).

It must be mentioned that Carolina also faces both Tampa Bay and Florida in their final 2 games, though they are forced to play the Lightning Wednesday night; a tough back-to-back schedule they've struggled with all season (4-9-1 record in the 2nd game of a B2B).

As it stands, Washington must still rely on other teams in order to secure a play-off berth, but they do have a few things going for them, not the least of which being the 2nd hottest team in the league the last 10 games with an 8-2-0 record. They also boast the very-likely league MVP and a goaltender thats been a very good addition since the trade deadline (Cristobal Huet : 7-2-0, 2.03, .922%) A win Tuesday night will go a long way toward a potentially explosive return to the playoffs for the team.