There's no game on the docket for Washington this Monday evening, yet the franchise's 2025-26 fate remains very much up for grabs.
The spotlight falls instead on Philadelphia, host to Carolina for one of the year's final Metro clashes. Should the Flyers pull down a pair of points off their visitors, they punch a playoff ticket — an outcome that would, at the same time, knock out Columbus along with the Caps.
Unhappily for that pair, Carolina looks set to treat the night as a breather for its standouts rather than a closing tune-up ahead of the postseason. Reportedly held out are three of the club's four highest scorers, its leading point man from the blue line, and a premier shutdown presence among the game's best.
Provided the Flyers drop the contest in regulation, overtime, or the shootout, Washington remains alive for the Metro's third seed. Just a thin handful of scenarios would carry the Caps past Tuesday evening.
The opening faceoff between the clubs comes at 7 pm. No national broadcast is slated for the matchup, but fans can catch it streaming through ESPN+.
---
Projected rosters
Flyers (Philadelphia)
Konecny
Tippett
Zegras
Foerster
Cates
Barkey
Martone
Dvorak
Hathaway
Michkov
Glendening
Couturier
Drysdale
York
Ristolainen
Sanheim
Andrae
Seeler
Ersson
Vladar
Hurricanes (Carolina)
Blake
Stankoven
Ehlers
Hall
Carrier
Kotkaniemi
Nadeau
Robinson
Jankowski
Deslauriers
Martinook
Brind'Amour
Chatfield
Miller
Walker
Nikishin
Legault
Reilly
Andersen
Bussi
---
Netminders head-to-head
Brandon Bussi (CAR) gets the nod for Carolina, opposite Philadelphia's Dan Vladar (PHI).
- Bussi: a .892 save rate, a GSAx figure of -0.3, and a 30-6-1 mark on the year
- Vladar: a .905 save rate, a GSAx of +11.5, and a 28-14-7 mark on the year
🍕 ⛸️
---
Drop your thoughts below. We'll lock the thread not long after the final horn.