Laich Guarantees a Berth for Capitals So maybe it wasn't Mark Messier, guaranteeing victory for the Rangers over the Devils in 1994. But Brooks Laich, a respected veteran grinder for the Washington Capitals, became surprisingly brash about his team's hopes of clinching a playoff berth with two games left in the regular season. "We're making the playoffs," Laich said Wednesday on the morning show of Washington's The Fan sports radio station. We're not talking worst-case scenario. We're making the playoffs. Laich's prediction is not outlandish. The Capitals are in the driver's seat. They are tied with the Buffalo Sabres for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference at 90 points with two games remaining for each club. The Capitals own the tiebreaker. If they are victorious Thursday against the Panthers and Saturday against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, the Capitals will clinch a playoff berth. The Sabres have a slightly tougher schedule, playing Thursday in Philadelphia and Saturday in Boston. Whether he intended to pull a Joe Namath or not, Laich's forecast cannot hurt the inconsistent Capitals. At the start of the season, Alexander Ovechkin's team was projected to battle for supremacy in the East. Instead, they have crawled to the finish line, while the Sabres have surged. Lifeless for most of the season, the Capitals could use the wake-up call. A year ago, the Capitals gave Laich a 6-year, $27 million contract so he would not leave via unrestricted free agency. Last season, the forward scored only 16 goals in 82 games. The signing was a clear message that the often rudderless Capitals could not afford to lose Laich's leadership and intangibles. On Wednesday, the morning before Washington's latest biggest game of the season, Laich stepped up. "There's probably games in October that you wish you had, or November or whatever," Laich said. But over the course of 82 games your team identity is going to be revealed. And either you are or you are not a playoff team. There's really no gray area. Laich believes the Capitals are a playoff team. He guaranteed it. If the Capitals grab the eighth spot, count on Laich being asked all sorts of ways about his team's chances against the first-place Rangers.