Washington Capitals clinch 2024-25 Metropolitan Division
The Washington Capitals clinched the 2024-25 Metropolitan Division on Tuesday – and they didn’t even play.
#allcaps are first to clinch a division this season – Metropolitan Division champs for 2024-25.
Any two points won by Washington or lost by Toronto will clinch the No. 1 seed in the East and a first-round date with Wild Card No. 2.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) April 9, 2025
With a 3-0 Buffalo Sabres win over the Carolina Hurricanes, the Capitals clinched the Metro for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
The Capitals, with a record of 49-19-9 with 107 points, were the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season, have five games remaining in the regular season. As of Tuesday night, they are three points ahead of the Winnipeg Jets for the best record in the NHL, and nine points ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
If they hold out, they will win the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time since 2016-17, when they went 55-19-8 with 118 points. They have won the Presidents’ Trophy three times: 2009-10, 2015-16 and 2016-17.
All this comes off the heels of captain Alex Ovechkin scoring his 895th career goal on Sunday, passing Wayne Gretzky as the greatest goal scorer in NHL history. It took Ovechkin one fewer game – 1,486 – to tie Gretzky’s record before breaking it today, just one game later.
While Ovechkin will not finish anywhere near Gretzky’s career point total of 2,857, he will likely hold on to one of the NHL’s most coveted records for many, many years to come.
8️⃣9️⃣5️⃣!
For more than 31 years, exactly 11,338 days, Wayne Gretzky held a crown most believed would be his for eternity.
The #NHL has a new goal scoring king: the Great One gives way to the Great Eight.
The #Gr8Chase ends on Long Island – hockey’s first 900-goal scorer next.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) April 6, 2025