Spencer Carbery calls Capitals' practices during Olympic break crucial because team needs to be 'playing at a high level' once regular season restarts

"Per MoneyPuck, they have just a 33 percent chance of making the postseason. The Capitals are currently four points out of a possible playoff spot, with two possible paths to the postseason. The New York Islanders sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division with a game in hand on the Caps, while the Boston Bruins occupy the second wild card position with two games in hand on the Caps."

"We'll talk about it as a group, but we know where we sit and what we're up against, and we're just going to have to stay very short-term with it. But there's not a lot of margin for error, so everybody's going to have to be playing, and our team as a collective is going to have to be playing at a high level right out of this break."

Washington Capitals enter the final 23 games with just a 33 percent chance of reaching the playoffs per MoneyPuck and sit four points outside a playoff spot. Two paths to the postseason remain: the New York Islanders hold third in the Metropolitan Division with a game in hand, and the Boston Bruins occupy the second wild-card spot with two games in hand. The team must hit the ground running, adopt a short-term focus, and recognize minimal margin for error. The schedule starts with a three-games-in-four-nights stretch: Philadelphia (Feb. 25), Vegas (Feb. 27), and Montreal (Feb. 28), with strategic skates, rest days, and practices planned.

Read at RMNB