The Washington Capitals (42-30-9) are officially eliminated after Tuesday night. They conclude the 2025–26 season with a road matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets (40–29–12) at Nationwide Arena.
The puck drops at 7:00 pm ET.
The Capitals are officially eliminated from playoff contention after Philadelphia beat Carolina on Monday. That game required a shootout where the Flyers emerged victorious and secured themselves a spot in the playoffs.
Philadelphia also scored 96 points, while the Capitals could only score a maximum of 95 points. The Flyers' win also resulted in Columbus being eliminated.
As a result, the Capitals would miss the playoffs for the first time under head coach Spencer Carberry. Prior to Carberry's appointment, the team had missed the postseason in the spring of 2023.
Tuesday's match could also be the last match of veteran captain Alex Ovechkin. The 40-year-old will make a decision on his future this summer.
The Capitals continued their three-game winning streak in their season finale on Tuesday. They won a home set with the playoff-bound Pittsburgh Penguins last weekend.
Sunday's game was emotional for Ovechkin, who played perhaps his final home game at Capital One Arena. He even got a chance to face rival Sidney Crosby for the 100th time (75th in the regular season).
The Capitals picked up a 3-0 home win over Pittsburgh on Sunday. Logan Thompson made 24 saves and recorded his fourth shutout of the season.
Trevor van Riemsdyk broke the scoreless tie with a goal in the second period. Then, Connor McMichael scored two goals in the third, including an empty-netter.
Expected Capitals Rows
Ahead
Alex Ovechkin - Dylan Strome - Anthony Beauvillier
Connor McMichael - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Ryan Leonard
Aliaksey Protas - Ilya Protas - Tom Wilson
Brandon Duhaime - Justin Sourdiff - Ivan Miroshnichenko
defenseman
Martin Fehrvary - Timothy Liljegren
Jacob Chykrun - Trevor van Riemsdyk
Cole Hutson - Matt Roy
goalkeeper
logan thompson
clay stevenson
Expected Blue Jacket Series
Ahead
Kirill Marchenko - Adam Fantilie - Isak Lundeström
Cole Sillinger - Charlie Coyle - Conor Garland
Mason Marchment - Boone Jenner - Denton Heinen
Kent Johnson - Sean Monahan - Miles Wood
defenseman
Zach Werenski - Dante Fabbro
Ivan Provorov - Denton Mateychuk
Igor Zamula - Eric Gudbranson
goalkeeper
jet greaves
elvis merzlikin
how to see
TV: ESPN, Monumental Sports Network
Radio: Team 980/Caps Radio Network
