End of an era: Capitals will officially miss NHL playoffs for first time since 2014
WASHINGTON, DC (7News) — Matthew Tkachuk snapped a tie in the opening minute of the third period, and the Florida Panthers topped the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 on Tuesday night for their fourth consecutive victory.
Aaron Ekblad also scored for Florida, and Alex Lyon made 39 saves for his fourth straight win.
The Panthers win means the Washington Capitals will not make the playoffs. It's the first time the Caps have been eliminated from playoff contention since 2014.
“We have a responsibility to do our job and do it well,” coach Peter Laviolette said after a recent loss to New York. “We didn’t do it well enough. We haven’t done it well enough where we sit in the position that we sit in, so it’s of our own doing where we’re at right now and we can be better.”
The Caps sit at 34-34-9 on a season where much of the focus has been on Alexander Ovechkin's pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's NHL record for goals scored.
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As the Capitals have faded from Stanley Cup contention, it will certainly be a crucial offseason as the team decides how to rebuild on the fly around the aging Ovechkin.
