With a number of area teams gearing up for a playoff run, it's an exciting time for sports in the Washington area. Here's what you should be watching this week. Don't hesitate to leave your own suggestions in the comments, and, if you're so inclined, shoot me an email with suggestions for next week.

Tuesday
Most of this week's slate is packed with some great action. Tuesday is an exception. For those that aren't reading this at work, the Nats' 1 p.m. offering against the Dodgers is being televised on MASN. If you are positively insane, you can fork over some cash to MLB.com to watch the Nationals' split squad take on those same Dodgers tonight. 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday
American University, your Patriot League champions, will host the Holy Cross Crusaders in the first game of their conference tournament. The Eagles won't be able to look past this game, as winning their conference's automatic bid will be their only hope to attend the Big Dance.

The Caps and Sabres are currently ninth and tenth in the Eastern Conference, so why is Wednesday's matchup the most exciting hockey game in the country? Simple. Only the top eight teams make the playoffs. If Buffalo had two more wins right now, they'd be in eighth place, and in the playoffs. If Washington had two more wins right now, they'd be first in the Southeast Division, giving them third place in the conference and an automatic playoff seed. Of course, if Washington passes Carolina in the Southeast, Carolina will still be ahead of Buffalo, pushing Buffalo back another spot. Each team not only needs to win this game. They need each other to lose and to lose self confidence. This situation somehow brings to mind a recent Daniel Day Lewis vehicle. 7:30 p.m., TSN and CSN+.

The hobbled Washington Wizards have been surprisingly hot of late. Winners of four games in their last five, they host one of the Eastern Conference's finest, the Orlando Magic. Led by the measty Dwight Howard, the Magic are trying to secure the third seed in the conference, while the Wizards aim to hold onto the 6-spot. 7 p.m., CSN. Purchase tickets here.

Thursday
Much like Tuesday, Thursday's sports landscape is relatively barren. Howard University (6-24) closing out their regular season at Hampton? Sure, we'll take it. 8 p.m.

Friday
The Wiz go Raptor hunting north of the border tonight. In Toronto they face one of the conference's most balanced (read: mediocre?) squads. The Raptors are also a team that handed the Wizards one of their most crushing defeats in recent memory. A win by the Wiz would go a long way toward leapfrogging Toronto for the fifth spot in the conference. 7:00 p.m., CSN.

Saturday
The Caps beat the Bruins 10-2 on Monday. Boston will naturally want revenge. More importantly, Boston will want to learn how to play the Caps in case the two meet in the playoffs. They'll have a chance Saturday afternoon in Boston. If the Caps succeed in passing Carolina for the Southeast division lead, they'll play their first playoff round in five years against the sixth seed. Boston currently holds that spot. 1:00 p.m., CSN.

The Georgetown Hoyas will play the first of Saturday's three crucial games for the D.C. area's college hoops teams. They host #13 Louisville at the Verizon Center. The winner of the game clinches regular season crown of the Big East; this is quite the achievement, as the conference could send up to eight teams to the Big Dance. Regardless of the outcome, top-5 seeds for each team seem all but assured. 12 p.m., CBS.

The George Mason Patriots find themselves in a similar situation to the AU Eagles: win or go home. They'll find out the identity of their CAA tournament opponent less than 24 hours before tipping off: sixth seeded Northeastern or 11th seeded James Madison. The entire tournament's being held in Richmond, VA. 8:30 p.m., CN8. If the Patriots win, they'll play the semifinal on Sunday at 5:30 p.m., also on CN8.

The George Washington Colonials have made the NCAA Tournment in each of their last three seasons. They'll be hard-pressed to duplicate that feat this year. In fact, if they don't crawl out of the second-to-last spot in the A-10, they won't even make the conference tournament. Saturday night's regular season finale in Foggy Bottom against a strong UMass team could lend a smidgen of redemption to an otherwise lost season. 7:30 p.m.

Sunday
The Caps host their most hated and celebrated rival one day after an emotional match in Boston. The Caps won the teams' last meeting, but since then the Penguins have traded for Marian Hossa, who has twice been voted the best player in the NHL by the league's general managers. They already had Sidney Crosby, who won last season's MVP award. Both are questionable for Sunday's game with minor leg injuries, but the Penguins still have great goaltending, tough defense and Alex Ovechkin's former linemate, Evgeni Malkin, who currently trails Ovechkin by two points for the league lead. If you're going, please wear red, not yellow. 12:30 p.m., NBC.

The Maryland Terrapins travel to Charlotteville in an important final game to their regular season. If they are to make the NCAA tournament, they will need this big road win, as well as a couple more in the ACC tournament. Will Gary Williams right the ship after a disasterous loss to Clemson? 7:30 p.m., CSN.

Should the AU Eagles beat Holy Cross, they'll match up against either fourth-seeded Lehigh or fifth-seeded Lafayette in the conference semifinal. Before you start yawning, realize that beyond Georgetown, this Eagles team is probably the area's best hope for representation in the NCAA men's tournament. Time TBA.

Eli Resnick contributed to this week's picks