NHL Standings ordered by Eastern Conference: Capitals Still Fighting for Playoff Spot

Tonight the Washington Capitals take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in a Florida two step. But this isn't just any Caps vs. Bolts game. It could be the biggest since the Caps did the thing.

But before we get to that, let's look at the Eastern Conference as a whole right now:

1. Boston Bruins 34-12-11 79 points

2. Florida Panthers 37-15-4 78 points

3. New York Rangers 37-16-3 77 points

4. Carolina Hurricanes 33-17-5 71 points

5. Toronto Maple Leafs 31-16-8 70 points

6. Philadelphia Flyers 30-20-7 67 points

7. Tampa Bay Lightning 30-22-5 65 points

8. Detroit Red Wings 29-20-6 64 points

9. New Jersey Devils 28-23-4 60 points

10. New York Islanders 23-18-14 60 points

11. Washington Capitals 25-21-8 58 points

12. Pittsburgh Penguins 24-21-8 56 points

13. Buffalo Sabres 25-27-4 54 points

14. Montreal Canadiens 22-26-852 points

15. Ottawa Senators 23-27-3 49 points

16. Columbus Blue Jackets 18-27-10 46 points

Even though your Capitals are in 11th place in the conference they're actually just six points behind the Red Wings for the second and final wild card spot. The problem is their seven points behind the first wild card leader and that's the Bolts who they'll face tonight.

Per Bailey Johnson of WaPo on X, she says that Charlie Lindgren gets the nod against the Lightning. This is a good test for a goalie who has been reliable when the Caps face their fiercest opponents. The issue is now the offense bottom six again as Nic Dowd didn't make the trip.

Nicolas Aube-Kubel draws in while we await the NHL debut of current Hershey Bears leading scorer Pierrick Dube who was called up yesterday before the trip. Reminder that puck drop is a little after 7 p.m. and it's nationally televised on ESPN. So no Joe B and Locker on the call sadly but John Walton's got you on the radio on 106.7 The Fan.