"Thanks, Philly": Alex Ovechkin responds to Caps' empty netter that eliminated Red Wings, Penguins and Flyers 

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified Apr 17, 2024 03:52 GMT

Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals clinched the final East wild card spot after beating the Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1 at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night.

Ovechkin notched up a goal in the matchup, and veteran forward T.J. Oshie scored the tiebreaker goal with three minutes remaining in the third period. Oshie scored on an empty net to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead at 17:00 of the third.

Meanwhile, the Flyers, who needed a regulation win to stay alive in the playoffs race, pulled goalie Samuel Ersson with less than three minutes remaining into regulation.

The move, though, led to their elimination from the playoffs, as the Capitals were able to seize the opportunity to score on the empty net.

In the post-game interview, Ovechkin expressed his gratitude to the Flyers for leaving their net empty during regulation. This strategic move allowed the Capitals to score an empty net goal, resulting in the elimination of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings from playoff contention as well.

"Ovi" said:

"Detroit get a point and they still pull the goalie. They didn't know that. But we'll take it. Thanks, Philly."

The Capitals became the final team in the league to qualify for the playoffs. Notably, with a goal differential of -37, the Caps have the worst goal differential among teams going into the playoffs.

Overall, it's the ninth playoff qualification for the Capitals in 10 seasons and the first under coach Spencer Carbery as head coach of the team. Last year, the Caps missed making it into the post-season for the first time since 2013-14.

Alex Ovechkin and Caps eliminate Flyers to grab second wild card spot

Alex Ovechkin put the Capitals up 1-0 after scoring on a pass from Dylan Mcllrath from the right point at 18:08 of the first period. With that, "Ovi" put his season total at 31 goals, trailing Wayne Gretzky only by 41 goals from making NHL history.

At 12:29 in the second period, Erik Johnson made it 1-1 for the Flyers after redirecting Egor Zamula's pass to beat Connor Lindgren. Oshie then scored an empty net goal to give the Caps a 2-1 lead and secure them the playoff ticket via a second wild card at 17:00 of the third period.

The first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs begins on April 20, with Alex Ovechkin and Washington set to face the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers.