NHL playoff standings: A must-win for the Capitals?

Leading into the NHL trade deadline, there was much discussion as to the direction the Washington Capitals would take: Would they load up again for another run at a Stanley Cup? Would they try to flip some veterans for young players and draft picks?

GM Brian MacLellan made it pretty clear by his moves which way the franchise was headed, trading away Dmitry Orlov, Lars Eller, Marcus Johansson, Erik Gustafsson and Garnet Hathaway, and picking up Rasmus Sandin along with a bevy of early-round picks.

But then a funny thing happened: Since March 1, the Caps have gone 5-4-2 and stuck around the wild-card bubble. Leading into tonight's matchup against the rival Pittsburgh Penguins (8 ET, ABC and ESPN+), they are four points behind the Pens, with an equal number of regulation wins.

This isn't exactly a must-win mathematically — the Caps have some wiggle room remaining — but the schedule gets quite challenging from here on out. They'll take on the New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers next (all playoff teams), followed by a brief respite against the Montreal Canadiens before a foreboding final quartet of games against the Florida Panthers, Islanders, Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils. Yikes.

Given all of that, FiveThirtyEight gives the Caps a 3% chance of making the postseason. How high does that rise should they defeat the Penguins?

As we enter the final stretch of the regular season, it's time to check all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2023 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via FiveThirtyEight.

Jump ahead:Current playoff matchupsToday's gamesLast night's scoresExpanded standingsRace for No. 1 pick

Eastern Conference

A1 Boston Bruins vs. WC2