Capitals clinch Presidents' Trophy for 2nd straight season
The Presidents' Trophy is staying in Washington.
Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals will have the NHL's best regular-season record and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs for the second consecutive campaign thanks to a 2-0 victory over the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.
It will be the third time in the last eight seasons that Washington will have the top seed, and the Capitals are only the third team to claim the Presidents' Trophy at least three times since it was first awarded in 1986.
They won it last season with a 56-18-8 record before being eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games in the Eastern Conference semifinal.
Washington also clinched it in 2009-10, but the club was bounced out of the first round by the Montreal Canadiens in seven games.
The Capitals have yet to capture the sport's ultimate prize, falling to the Detroit Red Wings in their lone Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1998.
Washington clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and the Metropolitan Division title with a win over the Ottawa Senators on March 22.
The Capitals are 54-18-8 with two games remaining in their regular-season schedule.