Maria Sharapova, of Russia, holds up the winner's trophy after winning the final-round tennis match at the Bausch & Lomb Championships 7-6 6-3 against Dominika Cibulkova, Sunday, April 13, 2008, in Amelia Island, Fla.

With goals from Tomas Fleischmann, Sergei Federov and Alexander Semin, as well as another strong performance from Cristobal Huet, the Capitals beat the Florida Panthers, 3-1, to complete a historic comeback and clinch their first playoff berth in five years.

With wins in 11 of their final 12 games, including seven straight, the Capitals accomplished something that had never been done: making the playoffs after rallying from 14th or 15th place at the season's midpoint.

The victory also might have wrapped up the Hart Trophy as league MVP for Alex Ovechkin, who took five shots but was unable to improve upon his league-best 65 goals and 112 points. It also means Bruce Boudreau and Backstrom will receive serious consideration for coach and rookie of the year, respectively.

With the victory, Washington (43-31-8) closed the regular season on a seven-game winning streak. It lost just once in its final 12 games en route to its first division crown since 2000-01.