The capital is the 1st NHL team that will win a playoff place this season after the last time will receive last year – WPLG Local 10

Washington – Alex Ovechkin and Washington’s capital became the first NHL team to win a playoff this season, doing so after winning in his 69th game and receiving the help he needs elsewhere around the League.

They are the only team as the playoffs expanded to 16 teams in 1979-80, which is the first to qualify after being the last in the previous season.

“Our goal was to make the playoffs this year,” Ovechkin said after scoring his 888th career goal to help defeat Philadelphia 3-2 on Thursday night. “It’s hard. Every game is difficult, especially at the end, because every team is fighting. That’s why it is very important to () at the beginning of the year and the middle of the year to gather the points and feel comfortable at the end. Last year they took us 82 games to achieve it and since 20 games remained last year, it was a playoff.

Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, John Carlson and the core of the list are still intact. The extra-season acquisitions of the Center Pierre-Louke Dubois, the winged Andrew Mangiapan, Taylor Raddish and Brandon Dihaim, the defenders Jacob Chihrun and Matt Roy and goalkeeper Logan Thompson have worked as expected.

The capital is at the top of the NHL with 100 points leading the Eastern conference with 13 and traveling to the playoffs.

“It was great,” Mangiapan said. “Obviously, I think we have a really deep team: all four lines are great hockey players, the pairs D, they all make plays and our two goalkeepers on the web were great. It’s a really deep team, so I think we’ve been consistent all year long. Every day, every player can activate and make great games to help us.”

Now seven years removed from the lifting of the Stanley Cup for the first time in the history of franchise, Ovechkin, Wilson and Carlson – and Lars Elr, who traded and has been home since then – are the only players left on this championship. They watched and were amazed at what the capitals had done this season.

“This team has just played exceptional throughout the year,” Becstrom said on Friday. “I just have the feeling that they have some peace of mind there that you can see every game. There is never a panic. They work for each other and play for each other, which is a nice thing to get into the playoffs.”

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