Capitals Punishment

If there was one team out of the sixteen that made the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs that seemed to have the most Herculean task of winning a game, the Washington Capitals were likely everyone's pick. Facing the President's Trophy-winning New York Rangers, the Capitals needed all 82 games to secure a playoff spot, and having them win four of seven games against the Blueshirts was going to be nothing short of a monumental upset. The fun part about the playoffs, though, is that anything can happen in these series, so there was certainly a chance that an upset could occur. The reality of this series was that one team simply was overwhelmed by the other, and 2018 Stanley Cup champions are officially the first team to be excused from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

You know things didn't go well for the Capitals when defender Martin Fehervary lead the team in both goals and points, but that's the reality of the 2024 Washington Capitals. Alex Ovechkin failed to record a point in the four games against the Rangers, and TJ Oshie had just one helper. John Carlson had two points, but Max Pacioretty and Sonny Milano combined for the same total as Ovechkin and Oshie. Needless to say, the Capitals didn't get much from their stars.

I'm neither a Capitals nor a Rangers fan by any means, but the Rangers looked like a well-oiled machine against Washington as Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trochek went bananas with seven and six points, respectively, while have Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider chip in three points apiece. If you're doing the math, the four Rangers forwards scored 19 points to the four Capitals forwards' two points. The best team in the NHL made a statement in the four games they played, and they'll now have some extra time to rest and prepare as they await the winner of the Carolina-New York Islanders series.

If you're keeping up with the Survivor: NHL Playoffs contest, there have been four challenge prizes that have been won. They include:

• First hat trick recorded in the playoffs - won by Jared!
• First goalie point recorded in the playoffs - won by Elliot!
• First team eliminated from the playoffs - won by Skippy!
• First team to score seven goals in one game - won by Barry!

We could have another winner on Tuesday if Colorado can close out their series against Winnipeg as that would be the first upset of the playoffs, but we'll have to see if the Jets can figure out how to dig themselves out after being snowed over by the Avalanche. Strangely, there has yet to be a shutout in these playoffs, so that one's still up for grabs at any time! The only person who can't win that challenge prize as of right now is Skippy, but he will get one for being first out!

It's hard to say if the Capitals will make the playoffs next season based on how they barely made it this year, but the rebuild in DC should begin with Ovechkin's career nearly finished, Carlson's effectiveness beginning to fade, and the teams around them getting younger and better before they are. If tonight was Ovechkin's last playoff game, it certainly didn't end with a bang, but that ending should signal that the Capitals are going to start moving in a new direction this offseason.

It was another capital "L" for the Capitals tonight just as it was in previous three games they played, and the New York Rangers swept Washington into their summer plans.

Until next time, keep tyour sticks on the ice!