MINNEAPOLIS _ Moving into a playoff spot didn't guarantee the Wild would be in possession of one when it mattered most, at the end of the regular season.
What it would have done, though, is validate its recent strides in the race for the second wild card berth in the Western Conference.
And although the Wild whiffed on the chance to leapfrog three clubs and settle into that seed, it still justified its progress in a hard-fought 4-3 loss to the Capitals Sunday in front of 17,388 _ only the second slip-up by the Wild in its past seven games.
At 71 points, the team remains one behind Arizona, Winnipeg and Nashville; the Predators, whom the Wild hosts Tuesday, currently hold the second wild card seat.
A three-goal letdown in 3 minutes, 38 seconds hamstrung the Wild, putting it in a deficit that expanded before the team could climb out of it despite a spirited, engaged effort.
Two of those Washington tallies belonged to captain Alex Ovechkin, who continued his quest toward Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record by burying Nos. 702 and 703. Ovechkin also added an assist to record a three-point night.
The Capitals, however, were behind first, as the Wild jumped out to a 1-0 lead amid a 4-0 edge in shots.
After winger Ryan Donato lost the handle on a breakaway attempt, he followed the puck behind the net and snuck it behind goalie Braden Holtby on a wrap-around only 3:01 into the first. The goal was Donato's third in his last four games.
But the tide started to turn on Washington's first power play, which morphed into a 5-on-3 � the Capitals' only two looks with the man advantage.
Defenseman John Carlson fed Ovechkin for his patented one-timer at 7:21.
Back at even strength, Washington's Richard Panik flew down an open flank and wired the puck by goalie Alex Stalock at 10:28.
On the very next shift, just 31 seconds after Panik's goal, another Ovechkin one-timer doubled the Capitals' cushion.
But the Wild didn't look discouraged.
Instead, it became even more attentive � ratcheting up the physical play, which included a feisty fight between winger Ryan Hartman and defenseman Brenden Dillon, and shoveling pucks at Holtby.
One shot Holtby couldn't handle came from the Wild's hot hand.
Winger Kevin Fiala hurled a shot through traffic on the power play at 13:13 to pull the Wild within a goal of Washington.
The goal was Fiala's 20th of the season, making him the third Swiss-born player to reach the 20-goal plateau in multiple seasons. Fiala had a career-best 23 in 2017-18.
In the third, the Wild's climb became steeper when winger Tom Wilson converted an Ovechkin pass 40 seconds into the frame.
That goal stung the Wild because with 7:07 to go, winger Zach Parise sent a Fiala feed by Holtby � the Wild's second power play goal in four tries and Parise's team-leading 23rd goal.
Fiala capped off his week with four goals and nine points, a league-best surge points-wise that could culminate in him being recognized as one of the stars of the week after he wasn't named a star for the month of February despite registering 19 points; Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl and the New York Rangers' Mika Zibanejad had more points, and Boston's David Pastrnak had the same point total but more game-winning goals.
Fiala is now up to 21 points in his last 14 games, a span in which he's contributed 11 goals. He's had multiple points in a career-high four straight games.
Stalock finished with 37 saves. Holtby had 26.
