Washington Capitals clinch final playoff spot despite staggering low point not seen since 1991

The Washington Capitals clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoff last night in a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. The Capitals finished the season with an absurd -37 goal differential. Making the postseason with such a low goal differential has put this Capitals team into the history books.

According to SportsNet Stats, Washington’s -37 goal differential is the worst by any playoff-bound team since the Hartford Whalers (-38) and Vancouver Canucks (-72) in the 1990-91 season.

The Whalers were eliminated in the first round by the Boston Bruins and the Canucks met the same fate against the Los Angeles Kings. That does not bode well for Washington’s chances of making a deep run in the playoffs.

Tuesday night’s game featured a wild ending that had wide-reaching implications for other teams as the NHL regular season comes to a close.

The madness started with the score tied and just minutes to go in the game. Philadelphia coach John Tortorella pulled his goaltender to gain an extra attacker because the Flyers needed to win in regulation to keep their hopes alive. Tortorella didn’t know that just minutes before in Montreal, the Detroit Red Wings scored a goal with 3.3 seconds remaining that forced overtime. That goal eliminated the Flyers.

T.J. Oshie then scored an empty-net goal for the Capitals with three minutes left that won the game for Washington. In the process, they snatched the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference from the Detroit Red Wings.

“We’ll take it,” Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin said. “Thanks, Philly.”

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