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NHL Playoff Field Set; Red Wings and Penguins Eliminated as Capitals Advance

NHL Playoff Field Set; Red Wings and Penguins Eliminated as Capitals Advance

The National Hockey League playoff field is set with the Washington Capitals clinching the 16th and final playoff spot after beating the Philadelphia Flyers. The Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Detroit Red Wings were all vying for the last spot, with the Capitals emerging victorious.

Quick Facts

• The Washington Capitals secured the final playoff berth by defeating the Philadelphia Flyers.
• The Detroit Red Wings extended their streak of missing the postseason to eight consecutive seasons, the longest in the NHL.
• The Pittsburgh Penguins will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season, a rare occurrence for the team.

The minute-by-minute countdown of how the Eastern Conference’s eighth seed was decided made for an exhilarating finish to hockey’s regular season. The Capitals and Red Wings finished tied with 91 points apiece, but Washington held the tiebreaker to claim the final playoff berth. Detroit extended its streak of consecutive seasons missing the postseason to eight, the longest in the NHL. The Capitals got the playoff spot over the Red Wings because of the regulation wins tiebreaker. Washington had 32 regulation wins, compared to 27 for Detroit.

The Penguins are in the rare position of enjoying a second consecutive early summer. Pittsburgh had not missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons since 2003-04 and 2005-06. The NHL regular season concludes Thursday.

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