Caps Head North After Southeast Swing

After a busy swing through the Southeast for the Caps (and yours truly), Washington heads north for a game against Toronto Tuesday after going 2-2-0 on the road against its Southeast foes. While not a resounding trip, it also was good enough for the Caps to close in on their second straight Southeast title by getting enough points to keep Carolina and Florida out at arm's reach.

While the Hurricanes cut the Capitals' lead in the Southeast to nine points with their 3-2 win in Sunrise Monday night, the Capitals now only need six points in their final eight games to clinch the division title, since the 'Canes only have seven games left to play and can only reach 101 points - just five more than Washington currently holds.

The other element is the Capitals will get a chance to retake second in the East with a win over the Maple Leafs, as the Devils lost to Boston Sunday that leaves New Jersey just a point better than Washington, while the Bruins could just be four points better with a win tomorrow in Toronto.

So while the Caps jockey for a better seeding, they also will look ahead to locking up a playoff spot sometime this week, and then eventually close in on the division title. With the Eastern playoff chase down to pretty much just nine teams, three more points will guarantee their postseason berth.

After their long stretch away from home comes to an end tomorrow, the Caps also get four of their last seven at Verizon Center, meaning by the time they leave town for the Frozen Four, they could be secure in their spot in the playoffs.