Alex Ovechkin scored in overtime and the Washington Capitals picked up their 50th victory of the season and became the first NHL team to clinch a playoff spot as they beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 Tuesday night.
Ovechkin scored his seventh game-winner of the season 2:38 into overtime after the Capitals clinched a playoff spot by picking up a point.
It's their eighth playoff appearance in nine seasons and one that has been inevitable for a long time as they've skated away from the rest of the field.
"It's certainly unexpected with this many games left," said winger Justin Williams, who scored his 21st goal in his first season with the Capitals. "It's a tribute to how we've played and we're proud of where we sit, but not proud enough to rest on our laurels."
Flyers stalk Wings: Michael Raffl scored two goals and the Flyers won a pivotal game in their playoff push, defeating the Red Wings 4-3 in Philadelphia. The Flyers have 78 points and pulled within one point of Detroit for the final Eastern Conference wild-card playoff berth. Philadelphia dominated the Red Wings early and outshot Detroit 23-3 in the first period.
Penguins take shootout: Pittsburgh's Kris Letang scored the only goal of the shootout with a pretty backhand past Islanders rookie goalie Jean-Francois Berube to lift the host Penguins to a 2-1 victory.
Leafs heat up: Ben Smith and Connor Carrick scored their first goals of the season and the Maple Leafs defeated the Lightning 4-1 in Toronto. The Leafs have won back-to-back games and picked up points in four of their past five.
Punch costs a game: The NHL suspended Blue Jackets defenseman Dalton Prout one game for sucker punching Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov during a scuffle in Sunday's game.
