League-leading Capitals set their sights on President’s Cup

The Washington Capitals have clinched a playoff berth and home-ice advantage in the first round.

Next up: clinching the Metropolitan Division en route to a potential run at the President’s Cup as the NHL’s top regular season team.

The regular-season accolade would be a feather in the cap of the up-and-coming team ahead of a playoff run.

Though the Capitals lead the NHL in points, all attention has been directed toward captain Alex Ovechkin’s chase of the NHL goals record.

After scoring against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, the Russian trails Wayne Gretzky by just five goals. Six scores in the Capitals’ final 11 games would give the 39-year-old sole possession of the most elusive record in the sport.

But he isn’t interested in talking about it. Ovechkin regularly deflects questions about “the Gr8 Chase,” as the team has branded it.

His teammates are thinking about it, though. Like the Capitals fans in the stands, the players on the ice live and die with each Ovechkin shot.

It’d be easy for the Eastern Conference leaders to coast down the stretch and take their foot off the gas while looking ahead to the postseason.

That isn’t an option for a Capitals team with their eye on history for their captain.

“That’s pushing us right now. I feel like that’s a pretty good reason to work hard and play hard. We’re all working toward that goal,” forward Dylan Strome told NHL.com “He’s worked his whole life for it, and we’re kind of just along for the ride in this part of it.”

The Capitals are in the driver’s seat for the President’s Cup, which would guarantee home-ice advantage throughout the postseason. The Jets, who defeated the Capitals on Tuesday, are the only other competitor in that race.

Washington has a one-point lead over Winnipeg with a game in hand.

Five wins in their last 11 games — a stretch that features seven matchups on the road — will be enough to clinch the Eastern Conference for the Capitals. The season-long back-and-forth with the Jets will likely come down to the final weekend, though.

Contending for a top seed is a stark change for Washington. The Capitals fought for their playoff lives last season, becoming the final team to clinch a playoff berth.

With their ticket punched, the Capitals are honing their skills for the postseason grind.

“When you play against good teams that are structured and don’t give you much, what it comes down to is a team is going to crack in certain moments,” second-year coach Spencer Carbery said. “That’s what good teams [do.] If you want to win this time of year, you can’t crack.”

Last season’s playoff performance was a disaster. The New York Rangers — who won last year’s President’s Cup — swept the Capitals in a series that was never close. Ovechkin was held off the scoring sheet for the first playoff series in his 19-year career.

This year’s group is different.

“Our team has done a tremendous job all year. We don’t crack often,” Carbery said. “We force other teams to.”

The media won’t let Ovechkin forget about his goal chase, though. His pace has slowed in recent weeks, pushing the potential record-breaker to the wire. His season-long average would see him break the record in the season finale against the rival Pittsburgh Penguins.

“It is what it is. It’s a fun time obviously, but you just have to enjoy it,” Ovechkin said. “It’s a special moment; everybody is watching and paying attention to that.”

The Capitals return to the ice on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild.