Capitals Are The Top Team In The East After Getting Alex Ovechkin The Nhl Career Goals Record

Getting Alex Ovechkin the NHL goals record was a major motivator for the Washington Capitals over the past month. That came Sunday when he scored the 895th of his career.

The other aim was locking up the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the fast-approaching playoffs. They did that by beating Metropolitan Division rival Carolina on Thursday night.

That finishes off Washington's regular-season checklist with four games to go, and with no real desire to win the Presidents' Trophy. The Capitals earned that three times between 2010 and 2017 and lost in the first or second round each time before not doing so and hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2018, though home-ice advantage through the first three rounds was a valuable prize.

"Obviously, it's been a great year," said Dylan Strome, who leads the team in scoring with 77 points. "Lots of work left to do, though. Can't be satisfied, but it's a credit to us. I think we found a way to continue to battle throughout the whole year."

Having a large cushion atop the East and the Metro allowed the Caps to focus on Ovechkin. They still have a shot at the Presidents' Trophy given they don't face a contending team the rest of the way.