Down the Home Stretch: April 5th Update

We are heading into the last week of the regular season, and the good news for the Washington Capitals is that they have maintained the five point lead they had on the ninth-place team in the East when we started this feature.  The bad news is that they have not expanded it. 

What is emerging, though, are threats to the playoff chances of other clubs.  The Caps are now ahead of Detroit and Pittsburgh in standings points, putting more teams between themselves and those trying to climb into the playoff-eligible group.

With three games left and a five point lead on ninth-place, things are looking upbeat as we head into the last week.

(green denotes playoff eligible)