from Tom Gulitti of the NHL's website,

The Washington Capitals and the Detroit Red Wings expect to get a taste of what the Stanley Cup Playoffs can be like when they face off at Capital One Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, BSDET).

The Capitals (35-26-9) lead the Red Wings (36-29-6) by one point for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference and have one game in hand. The winner can grab the inside track toward earning a postseason berth.

"This one will probably feel a little bit like a playoff atmosphere, I would imagine," Capitals forward T.J. Oshie said. "There should be probably a lot of urgency on both sides, for them and for us, so it will be an exciting game. We've played in some meaningful games for whatever the occasion was this season, but I don't think any of them will feel as meaningful as this one as we're both fighting for a spot to get in.

"Come three weeks from now, this game could be the one that you look back at that could've been the difference-maker for either side whatever way it goes."

These are the kind of high-stakes games the Red Wings have been looking forward to playing after failing to qualify for the playoffs the past seven seasons. After Tuesday, Detroit will have 10 games remaining and the Capitals 11, including a visit to Little Caesars Arena on April 9, so each team will have some work left to do regardless of the result.

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