Mar 20, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates after scoring a goal during the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Capitals Clinch First NHL Playoff Spot

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Nick Horwat | Last updated Mar 20, 2025 10:25 PM ET

The Washington Capitals needed all 82 games plus a little luck to sneak into the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With 13 games remaining in the 2024-25 NHL season, the Capitals are the first team to clinch a spot in the postseason.

With a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers and a key outcome between the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens, the Capitals have punched their ticket to the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Capitals improved to 46-15-8 for 100 standings points on the year with their win, a huge jump from their 40-31-11 finish last season.

The @Capitals 2025 #StanleyCup Playoffs

Washington became the first team since 1979-80 to go from being the last team to clinch a playoff spot in one season to the first team to do so the next season. #NHLStats: https://t.co/rQL3t90EkG pic.twitter.com/y6cfg5X1I6
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) March 21, 2025

Captain Alex Ovechkin leads the Capitals in goals with 35 and is in the midst of hunting down Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record. A tally against the Flyers put the Great 8 at 888 career goals, just seven back of surpassing Gretzky.

While Ovechkin has been must-see hockey, he isn’t even the biggest producer of offense in the Capitals’ lineup. Dylan Strome (67 points), Aliaksei Protas (62), Pierre-Luc Dubois (60), and Tom Wilson (57) all have more or are knotted with Ovechkin (57).

The Capitals have been getting solid production from all over the lineup with eight players recording more than 40 points and another six with 20 or more.

Goaltending has been another unexpected bright spot for the Capitals with one of the top duos in the NHL in Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren. Both signed contract extensions thanks to their solid work, but Thompson has been a real success story.

The Capitals acquired Thompson during the 2024 NHL Draft and quickly turned into a Vezina-caliber goalie. In 39 games played, Thompson has a 30-4-5 record with a .917 save percentage and 2.29 goals against average.

Entering the 2024-25 season, no one really knew what to expect from the Capitals other than Ovechkin’s goal chase would be a hot topic. While Ovechkin is a focal point, the rest of the team has impressed and proven to be worthy competitors in the postseason.

They surely won’t suffer the same fate as last year when they were swept out of the first round by the New York Rangers.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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