Two more wins will get Washington Capitals in Stanley Cup playoffs

While the path is straightforward, completing it will not be. Through 80 games, Washington has swung between impressive highs, such as a stretch of eight wins in 11 games in March that made a playoff berth look close to assured, and staggering lows, such as the 1-5-2 skid that left their postseason spot in jeopardy before Saturday’s win over Tampa Bay.

“Everything matters right now — every single moment,” goaltender Charlie Lindgren said Saturday. “It’s certainly something that none of us are taking for granted. We realize how fun this is, playing in environments like these, and it’s been an absolute blast. We’ve got two games here left and, obviously, just lay it all out there.”

The win over Tampa Bay put Washington back in the Eastern Conference’s second and final wild-card spot with 87 points, tied with the Detroit Red Wings and the Flyers but holding the tiebreaker over each. The Pittsburgh Penguins are one point behind and remain in the mix. Also, third place in the Metropolitan Division remains in play for the Capitals and Penguins; the New York Islanders (90 points) hold that spot.

The Capitals banded together Saturday after defenseman Nick Jensen was injured late in the first period, rallying around the idea of playing like Jensen — hard-nosed, physical and straightforward — and winning for him. Emotionally, seeing Jensen’s injury was challenging for his teammates, but they got a lift when he walked out of Capital One Arena with his family. Physically, losing one of their top four defensemen — while still playing without Rasmus Sandin, who suffered an upper-body injury against Ottawa on April 7 — put Washington’s remaining blue-liners in a difficult spot.

John Carlson and Martin Fehervary each logged more than 27 minutes Saturday; Carlson played 27:25 with Fehervary close behind at 27:06. Alex Alexeyev and Trevor van Riemsdyk played 21:42 and 21:28, while rookie Vincent Iorio, who had four games of NHL experience before being called into duty after Sandin’s injury, skated 11:17.

In this win-and-get-in situation, the Capitals will have to lean on Iorio, Alexeyev, van Riemsdyk and either Lucas Johansen or Dylan McIlrath to shoulder a significant load in the season’s last two games. McIlrath was recalled from the American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears on Sunday morning and joined the Capitals for an optional practice.

“I think from [the] opponents, [the] type of games that we’re going to be playing in, I think he makes a lot of sense,” Capitals Coach Spencer Carbery said of McIlrath. “I think from a…