Capitals host Red Wings in battle for playoff spot in Eastern Conference

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Washington Capitals and the Detroit Red Wings expect to get a taste of what the Stanley Cup Playoffs can be like when they face off at Capital One Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, BSDET).

The Capitals (35-26-9) lead the Red Wings (36-29-6) by one point for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference and have one game in hand. The winner can grab the inside track toward earning a postseason berth.

"This one will probably feel a little bit like a playoff atmosphere, I would imagine," Capitals forward T.J. Oshie said. "There should be probably a lot of urgency on both sides, for them and for us, so it will be an exciting game. We've played in some meaningful games for whatever the occasion was this season, but I don't think any of them will feel as meaningful as this one as we're both fighting for a spot to get in.

"Come three weeks from now, this game could be the one that you look back at that could've been the difference-maker for either side whatever way it goes." 

These are the kind of high-stakes games the Red Wings have been looking forward to playing after failing to qualify for the playoffs the past seven seasons. After Tuesday, Detroit will have 10 games remaining and the Capitals 11, including a visit to Little Caesars Arena on April 9, so each team will have some work left to do regardless of the result.

But the winner Tuesday, particularly if it's in regulation so the loser doesn't earn a point, will have the upper hand in the race.

"We want these tight games as late as possible," Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said. "And, again, the teams that win find themselves in position, and Washington is winning. We've done our part. We’ve won two of our last three to stay in this battle, but tonight's a huge game with a huge opportunity for us."

The Red Wings' playoff hopes appeared in good shape after an 8-3 win against the Capitals in Detroit on Feb. 27 extended their winning streak to six games. They're 3-9-0 since then, including seven straight losses from Feb. 29-March 14.

Detroit believes it's trending in the right direction, though, by going 3-2-0 since ending the losing streak. After rallying from a two-goal deficit in a 4-3 overtime win against the Columbus Blue Jackets last Tuesday, the Red Wings defeated the New York Islanders 6-3, with Dylan Larkin scoring two goals in his return from a lower-body injury, before battling the Nashville Predators toe to toe in a 1-0 loss Saturday.

"When we play as a team and we do the right things, we're a really good team, and when we kind of go off page, try to maybe be a little too skilled, it doesn't go too well for us," Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat said. "We've got to stay on the path of what we know is going to work and what we know has worked in the past. We've got to figure that out and come out strong."

The Capitals trailed the Red Wings by nine points following the lopsided loss in Detroit and are 8-4-0 since, including wins in five of their past six games. After moving one point ahead of Detroit with a 5-2 win at the Calgary Flames on March 18, Washington faltered in a 7-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs two days later that dropped it three points out of the playoff bubble. They rebounded with a 7-6 shootout win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday and overcame a sluggish start with three third-period goals in a 3-0 victory against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.

"We've had our backs against the wall a couple times where it feels like, if we lose, we're kind of too far out of it," Capitals forward Dylan Strome said. "And now we're in the position where we want to keep our foot down because we're in a playoff spot … Obviously, it's a big game. There's no questions about that, but I also think the last eight or nine have been pretty big."

Finishing ahead of the Red Wings isn't the Capitals' only path toward returning to the playoffs after failing to qualify last season for the first time since 2014. Washington is also two points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for third in the Metropolitan Division with two games in hand. The Flyers visit the New York Rangers on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSP, MSG), but the Capitals taking care of business against the Red Wings will help their cause in both races.

"Play a huge game on home ice against a good team that we're fighting neck and neck with, I think it's a great opportunity for us to just continue to do what we've been doing of late," Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. "Just stay in the moment and focus on playing at a high level and up to our standard tonight."

NHL.com independent correspondent Harvey Valentine contributed to this report