Down the Home Stretch: Schedule for the Eastern Conference Wild Card Candidates

Here it is, the last 18 days of the 2014-2015 season, and three teams are fighting for two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference -- the Washington Capitals, the Ottawa Senators, and the Boston Bruins (our apologies to the Florida Panthers, but in a team where three-point games are not uncommon, making up six points with nine games to play to overtake Ottawa is a tall order).  Here is how the schedule plays out...

Some things to note...

• Seven times, including the last day of the regular season, all three teams will be in action. 
• On that last day of the season, Ottawa has a 12:30 game, as do the Caps.  Boston faces Tampa Bay in a 7:30 game.  Maybe that game will mean something, maybe it will not.
• All three teams have two back-to-back games left; all of them have an away/away and a home/away set of back-to-backs.
• The Caps finish up the last week with a light, two-game schedule, both games at home.  Both Ottawa and Boston finish on the road, the Senators with their final two games on the road and the Bruins with their last three away from Beantown.
• Six of the Caps' last nine games are against likely playoff teams, two others against the other wild card contenders, Boston and Ottawa.
• Ottawa plays five of its last ten games against likely playoff teams, plus a game against the Caps.
• Boston plays four of its last nine games against likely playoff teams, plus a game against the Caps.
• Washington and Ottawa each have five home games remaining; the Bruins have four.

We will be updating this from time to time, hoping it will all work out in the end for the Caps.