Breaking down the tight playoff race the Capitals are facing

March Madness is a time for upsets and weirdness to happen on a basketball court but over on the ice it heats up over there for teams on the playoff bubble such as the Washington Capitals. And as we've learned in the last couple of weeks, they aren't the only ones.

Nic Dowd said so to the AP after a 4-3 overtime win on Tuesday night over one of the teams the Caps are fighting for the playoffs in the Detroit Red Wings:

""Every game feels like a playoff game at this point. The next game is going to feel the exact same way.""

- Nic Dowd

Despite losing lopsided 5-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs last night with Dowd scoring the lone Caps goal, the Caps are still a healthy two points ahead of the Red Wings for that second wild card spot.

The Caps are now chasing the Philadelphia Flyers who are just a point ahead of them for third in the Metropolitan Division. That would draw them the Carolina Hurricanes if the season ended. The Flyers fell to the Canadiens 4-1 in Montreal last night. The Hurricanes shutout the Red Wings 4-0 in Raleigh.

The Boston Bruins are the Caps opponents this Saturday and they're just three points behind the New York Rangers, who defeated the Avalanche on the road in overtime last night. The Bruins fell to the Bolts 3-1 in Tampa on Wednesday.

So if the Caps were to get that second wild card spot it's likely they'll see the Bruins or the Rangers in round one. Saturday they got the Bruins on home ice which is sure to be a good one especially if the Caps can bounce back in front of the home crowd, who has been nothing but raucous of late.