Washington Capitals clinch eighth straight playoff appearance after Islanders lose to Leafs – Russian Machine Never Breaks

The New York Islanders lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 on Easter Sunday. The L officially eliminated Barry Trotz and the ninth-place Islanders from the postseason and y’all…

Look what else it did!

Your eighth-seeded Washington Capitals have clinched a playoff spot! It’s the eighth straight year they’ve made the big dance and the 14th time out of the last 15 seasons.

Usually, this is where we post really excited GIFs to celebrate, but this year, we’re feeling a wee bit different with a possible first-round date against the Florida Panthers on the horizon.

The Capitals will be looking to buck the trend of being eliminated in the first round – a fate they’ve suffered the last three seasons.

The Capitals have seven games remaining to try and dig themselves out of the second wildcard spot with games against the Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, Toronto Maple Leafs New York Rangers, New York Islanders (2), and Arizona Coyotes on the horizon. They currently sit three points behind the sixth-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins with two games in hand, and three points behind the seventh-seeded Boston Bruins for the first wild card.