Washington Capitals’ Winning Streak Keeping Slim Playoff Hopes Alive Entering April – The Hockey Writers – Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals have surged back into the playoff conversation following a three-game winning streak and cooling off the red-hot Philadelphia Flyers in a 6-4 win on Tuesday night. Washington’s playoff hopes looked bleak following a shutout loss in St. Louis on March 24; however, the Capitals have responded to adversity with consecutive victories over the Utah Mammoth, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Flyers to position themselves for a late-season charge towards the 2026 postseason.

Critical Stretch for Capitals Against (Mostly) Playoff Spoilers

Washington’s next test is a classic trap game against the New Jersey Devils, whose only goal at this point is to play the spoiler. The Capitals hold the lowest remaining odds at an Eastern Conference playoff spot at 15.6% entering action on April 2, according to MoneyPuck. The Devils are statistically out of the postseason race according to the same website.

With a massive home game looming against the Buffalo Sabres on April 4, the Capitals must show up focused on tonight’s contest against the Devils to keep things interesting. Washington will be leaning on a legend heating up, a veteran continuing to break out, and a first-year teammate starting to carve out a long-term role with his current NHL club. 

Following the matchup with Buffalo, the Capitals will travel to face a pair of clubs out of the postseason shuffle: the New York Rangers on April 5 and the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 8. Washington’s record over this next four-game stretch will be a critical component to how well they finish out the 2025-26 campaign.

Logan Thompson or Bust Down the Stretch 

Capitals’ head coach Spencer Carbery hasn’t been shy about turning to Logan Thompson down the stretch. The 29-year-old has received eight-straight starting nods and an 88% start rate (14 of 16 games) since the NHL returned from the Winter Olympic break. Thompson has successfully helped keep Washington’s playoff dreams alive with an 8-4-2 record in his last 14 starts.

Thompson has produced some fantastic numbers during his second season in Washington: third leaguewide in games played (53), second in save percentage (.912), and fifth in goals against average (2.46). He will need to continue his spectacular play if the Capitals plan to keep playing after their regular season finale on April 14. 

Alex Ovechkin Checks Off Another Milestone

Alex Ovechkin has scored five goals in his last three games, with a hat trick against the Mammoth on March 26 and a two-goal effort against the Flyers in his most recent skate around Capital One Arena. With his first goal against Philadelphia, Washington’s captain reached the 30-goal plateau for the 20th time during his NHL career. Ovechkin joins Gordie Howe (44 goals in 1986-69 and 1969-70), Johnny Bucyk (36 during 1975-76), and Teemu Selanne (31 in 2010-11) as the only four players to score 30 goals in a season at 40 years old or older.

Washington’s star has been a bit inconsistent scoring on a month-by-month basis this season: October (two goals), November (10), December (three), January (seven), February (two), and March (seven). Ovechkin will be looking to buck this up-and-down trend with a strong push over the final handful of regular-season games in April. 

Sourdif Rewarding Capitals’ Investment

The Capitals swapped draft capital to acquire forward Justin Sourdif from the Florida Panthers during the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The move was designed to add a ready-made NHL forward to the Capitals’ bottom six to replace departing cast members such as Lars Eller and/or Taylor Raddysh. The 24-year-old Sourdif has rewarded Washington’s investment by recording a 15-goal, 32-point season over his first 71 games for the Capitals. 

Related: Capitals Acquire Forward Justin Sourdif from Panthers for Future Draft Picks 

Sourdif has seen increased ice time from Carbery over the course of this season. The newcomer started the season receiving around 10 minutes of time on ice per game (TOI/G) and finished March with a 15:26 TOI/G, including his fifth-highest usage of the season at 19:16 in Washington’s win over Philadelphia. The key will be generating more consistency out of the young forward as he carves out an important role in Washington’s game plan. 

The Capitals certainly have their backs up against the wall with seven games left. Three of the next four opponents are out of playoff position, so Washington would be wise to stack points where they can as many of their competitors have games in hand on the Capitals. Washington has positioned itself to potentially swoop in and steal a playoff opportunity with a strong performance in April, particularly if those above them in the standings continue to struggle.