WASHINGTON – The Washington Capitals are in a do-or-die situation for their final two games of the season as they look to sneak into the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and it all kicks off with one last home game against the Boston Bruins.
Here's everything to know before puck drop at Capital One Arena at 7 p.m.
D.C. currently sits in the second Wild Card spot and needs wins and help from the out-of-town scoreboard in its final two games to definitively sneak into the postseason.
Washington Capitals Line Combinations
The Capitals' forward lines should remain intact, but the defensive pairings will get a shakeup as Washington is without the services of second-pairing defenders Rasmus Sandin and Nick Jensen due to injuries.
Charlie Lindgren will get the start, marking his 49th game of the season.
Here are the projected line combinations:
Alex Ovechkin-Connor McMichael-T.J. Oshie
Aliaksei Protas-Dylan Strome-Tom Wilson
Max Pacioretty-Hendrix Lapierre-Sonny Milano
Beck Malenstyn-Nic Dowd-Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Martin Fehervary-John Carlson
Alex Alexeyev-Dylan McIlrath
Trevor van Riemsdyk-Vincent Iorio
Related: Capitals Excited For Battle & Final Chance To Sneak Into Playoffs, Adopting 'Game 7 Mentality' For Last 2 Stops Of Regular Season
Washington Capitals Injury Report
- Nick Jensen will miss the last two games of the regular season after being stretchered off the ice on Saturday after a heavy hit from Michael Eyssimont. He has been around the facility since and did not go to the hospital.
- Rasmus Sandin will miss the final two games of the regular season after being hurt on a big hit by Parker Kelly back on April 7 against the Ottawa Senators.
- Nicklas Backstrom remains on indefinite leave after stepping away from the game of hockey in November with his hip not responding as he'd hoped following hip resurfacing surgery in June 2022.
Washington Capitals Storylines
- Alex Ovechkin has four goals in the last six games for the Capitals.
- Max Pacioretty has points in three of his last four games.
- Dylan Strome has four points in his last five games and established a new single-season career high in points (66).
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- John Carlson has three points in his last two games and became the highest-scoring defenseman in franchise history on Saturday.
- Hendrix Lapierre's 15 points since Feb. 26 ranks fourth-most among rookies in the NHL.
Washington Capitals Playoff Scenarios
The Capitals need some major help from the out-of-town scoreboard to simplify things. If they win, and the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings lose in regulation, D.C. just has to worry about Philadelphia on Tuesday, as a win or overtime loss to the Flyers would get the job done and help them clinch.
If Washington loses against Boston, it must win on Tuesday and get losses from the Penguins and Red Wings. The team can lose in overtime to Boston and still get in by beating Philadelphia on Tuesday and having Pittsburgh and Detroit lose.
To sum it up:
2-0-0: Capitals clinch
1-0-1: Capitals clinch if they defeat Philadelphia and Detroit and Pittsburgh go 1-0-1 or worse or if the New York Islanders go 0-2-0.
1-1-0: Capitals clinch if they beat Philadelphia and Detroit and Pittsburgh go 1-1.
0-1-1 or 0-0-2: Capitals eliminated
How To Watch Capitals vs. Bruins
The game will be live on Monumental Sports Network , and there will also be an alt feed.
Fans can also tune in on Caps Radio 24/7 and 106.7 FM The Fan .
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