The Washington Capitals clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with their 5-4 shootout victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.
This ensures Washington will face the second wild-card team in Round 1 and have home-ice advantage through the first three rounds of the playoffs.
The Capitals currently rank second in the entire NHL standings, trailing only the Winnipeg Jets.
It’s a remarkable turnaround for Washington after barely qualifying for the postseason last year as a wild-card team.
The Capitals missed the playoffs entirely in 2022-23.
This marks the first time Washington has finished atop the Eastern Conference since winning consecutive Presidents’ Trophies in 2016 and 2017.
