Capitals Excited For Battle & Final Chance To Sneak Into Playoffs, Adopting 'Game 7 Mentality' For Last 2 Stops Of Regular Season

WASHINGTON — With two games to go on the regular season circuit, the Washington Capitals control their own destiny — and they couldn't be more excited about it.

Washington needs two wins as it faces the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers in a back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday in order to sneak into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and while there

"This is fun. There's zero nerves here. I guess, in your driveway when you're a kid, you're not dreaming about just trying to stay alive and win games to make the playoffs, you're winning Game 7s. But this is like a Game 7 for us," T.J. Oshie said. "These moments are what you dream about as a kid. No point shying away from it."

With a win, the Capitals would move to 89 points and with help from the out-of-town scoreboard, would only have to worry about defeating the Flyers to secure that last spot in what's been a fight to the finish for several teams.

Related: After Nearly 2 Years On The Couch, Pacioretty Is Finally Playing Meaningful Hockey Again With The Capitals. That's Why He Stayed In D.C.

While there's excitement and energy in the room, as well as urgency to get the job done, Washington also knows it's important to control its emotions.

"We've just been handling it and I've just handled it as we have over the last two-plus months of staying in the moment and focusing on the day's opponent that's in front of us, and then once we get through that, we move on to the next one," head coach Spencer Carbery said. "No different. It gets a little bit different as we get down to really the final two games, making sure that everybody's understanding of the circumstances but we're not overblowing any situation or any game."

The Capitals will also have to see several players step up with Rasmus Sandin and Nick Jensen out on the blue line and the team having managed no more than two goals in eight of the last nine games.

"The game's no different, our systems are no different. We're playing a great opponent, which we usually are playing," Oshie said. "These are the best moments of the season."

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At the end of the day, Washington knows that there's no time to step off the gas, and Max Pacioretty said that while it may not be pretty, the team knows what it has to do to win.

"It's been a lot of fun. Our group has battled," Pacioretty said. "We obviously had a lot to prove, especially a lot of veterans in here who have been there before. We're not doing it perfectly as of late, but we've also given ourselves a chance to make the playoffs."