Capitals finally moving on
Washington in NHL Eastern Conference final
In a season in which the Capitals were expected to take a half-step backward, they instead have taken a major leap forward.
The Capitals, playing without injured center Nicklas Backstrom, downed their nemesis Pittsburgh 2-1 in overtime on Evgeny Kuznetsov’s breakaway goal to reach the Eastern Conference final for the first time in the Alex Ovechkin era. They will face Tampa Bay.
Before the Capitals dispatched the Penguins, winners of back-to-back Stanley Cups, in six games this season, Ovechkin was 6-9 in playoff series, including 0-3 against the Penguins.
Three times since Ovechkin arrived, the Capitals won the Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s top regular-season team. Seven times, they registered 100 or more points.
Expectations have been high for the Capitals for more than a decade, and they couldn’t deliver. They had been eliminated seven times in a Game 7, including last season by the Penguins.
Last season, salary cap issues forced a reshuffling of the roster.
Maybe that was exactly what they needed. The Capitals didn’t need to be rebuilt, but they did need to be refreshed.
Karl Alzner, Kevin Shattenkirk, Daniel Winnik and Justin Williams left via free agency. Marcus Johansson was traded to the Devils. Nate Schmidt was lost in the expansion draft.
That opened room for Jakub Vrana, Chandler Stephenson, Christian Djoos, Alex Chiasson, Devante Smith-Pelly and others to earn more playing time or fill a spot on the roster.
The core group remained the same, but the roster was different enough to give the team a refurbished feel. Lars Eller had a better season, and Tom Wilson expanded his role.
National expectations for this team were lowered, and that allowed the Capitals to fly under the radar.
Everyone was talking about Vegas, Nashville, Tampa Bay, Winnipeg and Pittsburgh. Few were talking about the Capitals. Perhaps that also added another layer of motivation. When people stop talking about you, it’s time to elevate your game.
In this playoff run, the Capitals have performed like the playoff team they’ve always wanted to be. Opportunistic scoring. Competitive defense. Strong goaltending. Ovechkin has carried the load offensively, and Braden Holtby has been stellar in net.
The Capitals are only halfway to winning the Stanley Cup, which means it’s too early to start making bold predictions.
But given their past playoff failures, wouldn’t it be fascinating if the Capitals finally won the Stanley Cup in a season when no one was expecting it?