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Playoff bubble watch — Capitals edition

Alex Ovechkin

Washington Capitals right wing Alex Ovechkin (8) watches as Boston Bruins fans celebrate a goal by Bruins left wing Brad Marchand during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, March 6, 2014, in Boston. The Bruins shut out the Capitals 3-0. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

AP

After six straight seasons of making the playoffs, the Washington Capitals are in serious jeopardy of missing them in 2014.

Last night’s 3-0 loss to the Bruins saw the Caps muster just 16 shots on goal and, more importantly in the big picture, saw their chances of qualifying for the postseason fall to just 14.3 percent, according to Sports Club Stats.

With just 18 games left -- including a tough three-game road trip through California, plus a number of other tough opponents -- it’s not looking good.

“You can’t get much lower than that, I guess,” defenseman Karl Alzner said after the Boston loss. “The killer instinct isn’t there right now and it needs to be there because we are running out of time.”

Only five teams in the entire NHL have fewer regulation/overtime wins than the Caps’ 21.

Should Washington miss out on the playoffs, there could be significant change in D.C. Certainly, longtime general manager George McPhee has been a focal point for fan frustration, and one has to seriously wonder if his job is in peril -- especially given the Caps’ payroll, not to mention their past disappointments in the playoffs and all the coaches that have come and gone.

The Caps host Phoenix Saturday before taking on the Penguins back-to-back Monday and Tuesday.