The roller-coaster 2025-26 Washington Capitals season just got back on the incline.
Back on January 29 in Detroit, it seemed like Washington was going to have to consider being sellers at the trade deadline, as a 3-1 lead evaporated late in Detroit with their number one goalie Logan Thompson injured and backup Charlie Lindgren seemingly hurt on a strange game-tying goal off the camera well at Little Caesars Arena.
While the Capitals recovered to top the Red Wings in a shootout, the image of Lindgren being helped off the ice kind of seemed emblematic for this season, at times gone sideways for Washington.
Two nights later, Washington came out flat against the Carolina Hurricanes, falling behind 3-0 and in danger of falling further out of a playoff spot and having their third-string goaltender, Clay Stevenson, play with the top two out injured.
But the Capitals answered the bell, erasing that deficit and pulling out an improbable 4-3 overtime win over the division leaders.
Last Monday in Washington, the Capitals got a chance to make up ground on one of the teams they are chasing, the New York Islanders, and after falling behind early, scored a pair of quick goals to power themselves to a 4-1 win to pull just two points back of a playoff spot after seemingly ready to fall off a cliff just a couple of days ago.
Despite a loss to the Philadelphia Flyers the next night, a win over the Nashville Predators put them back in the win column to enter the Olympic break just four points behind both the Wild Card and Metropolitan Division third-place team in the playoff chase.
With the current state of the Eastern Conference, the Capitals were able to pull themselves from the brink of the abyss with a 5-2-1 mark after going nearly two months without back-to-back wins, and it seems that Washington will go back from having to consider selling off their unrestricted free agents to looking to add to see if they can make another run.
The good news for Washington is that after the break, they got Pierre-Luc Dubois back against the Predators to help shore up what has been a gaping hole at center, and most likely they will be adding another Top 6 forward to bolster the offense once the trade freeze lifts later this month.
Thompson’s injury also wasn’t as serious, as the goaltender played in the last game before the Olympic break, before representing Canada in the games.
While the Artemi Panarin rumors persisted around the Capitals, it was unlikely with the Russian’s contract demands as well as where he would fit in the salary structure, and with the Rangers’ forward’s no-trade clause, he basically dictated where he goes, so if he wanted to be in Los Angeles over Washington, it isn’t going to happen. The Capitals, with an obvious need and cap space to utilize, have become linked to numerous rumors this season, and like Quinn Hughes, this one didn’t come to pass either.
With teams now having to do self-evaluations at the break, there may be some more teams willing to sell off now as the reality of a short stretch after the Olympics loom.
Playing in Washington’s favor is the two teams the Capitals are directly chasing for a top-three spot in the Metro – most likely the most direct path to the playoffs – are the Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins, two teams that are overachieving and certainly seem like they won’t break and take off from the playoff pack. In a normal year, Washington could have trouble chasing a number of teams down, but this isn’t any sort of normal year in the standings.
The other positive aspect for Washington is certainly they seem to have had the worst of their season in the past month-and-a-half and emerged without having completely fallen out of the race. Granted, they were able to use the cushion from a start that had them atop the Eastern Conference, but the fact the Capitals could actually be at least tied in points for a playoff spot at the break is a win considering where the team seemed to be heading a week ago.
“Our urgency level hasn’t been higher this year,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery told reporters after last Monday’s win. “I think through this last stretch, guys understand that essentially our season’s on the line and our playoff lives are on the line. Once you get back after the break, you’re ten points back, you’ve got to go on like an 18-2 rip.”
The crucial stretch has allowed Washington to try and refocus on a playoff push instead of a possible limited sell off, and with the banged-up Capitals needing some healthy bodies back, the break couldn’t have come at a better time now that they have righted the ship.
