WASHINGTON -- The Devils had a chance to improve their playoff seed, but a regulation loss sealed their fate.
They will enter the postseason as the second wild card in the Eastern Conference following a 5-3 loss to the Washington Capitals on Saturday at Capital One Arena. The Devils finished the regular season 44-29-9.
As the second wild card, the Devils will get the winner of the Atlantic Division in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That will be either the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Boston Bruins, depending on the outcome of Saturday's and possibly Sunday's games.