The Washington Capitals clinched the Metropolitan Division on Tuesday and now clinched the Eastern Conference just two days later.
The Capitals notched their first regular-season conference win since they beat out the Pittsburgh Penguins by seven points during the 2016-17 campaign. This year’s win was secured when they downed the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 in a shootout.
Winning the conference ensures that the Capitals will have home-ice advantage through at least the first three rounds of the playoffs.
This is the fifth time in franchise history that the Capitals have won the East, and the four previous times all also came during the Alex Ovechkin era (2016-17, 2015-16, 2010-11 & 2009-10).
The Capitals are currently 50-19-9 and have 109 standings points, reaching 50 wins for the sixth time in franchise history. They sit three points behind the Winnipeg Jets (112) in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy, although the Caps own a game in hand.
If the season were to end now, the Capitals would be matched up with the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs. They played the Canadiens in the first round in 2010 after winning the East, famously losing in seven games.
