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NHL Standings: Washington Still Two Points Ahead Of Buffalo For Last Playoff Spot

The Washington Capitals are still in the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference, but they haven't been able to shake the Buffalo Sabres.

Presswire

The Washington Capitals were beaten by the Tampa Bay lightning on Monday night, which was a pretty big blow to their Playoff hopes. But even with that loss the Capitals still control their own destiny in the race for the Eastern Conference's eighth spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Capitals magic point number to clinch a spot in the Playoffs is four, meaning they will need to win at least one of their remaining two games and not lose the other in regulation to secure the Playoff spot. Of course the Sabres could help them out with a loss in one of their final three games if they were feeling generous. They host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.

With so little time left it's a little bit surprising that the Southeast division has not been wrapped up either, but the Panthers can clinch the division with a win against Winnipeg on Tuesday.

We'll have more on this race as it continues to develop, but you can head over to Japers' Rink for more on all things Washington Capitals hockey.