Caps sweep Pens

So what have we learned in the last few days? After a three-game slump, the Capitals have rebounded with four straight victories. More importantly, two of their last five wins have come over Pittsburgh. With Tuesday's win, for the first time ever, they've swept the season series with the Penguins.

The other three games against the Penguins have been come-from-behind affairs, with two games going into extra time and one going to a shootout. But the Capitals led from wire to wire in Tuesday's game on their way to a convincing 6-3 thrashing of the defending champs.

With the season nearly over, the Capitals have locked up the highest point total in the league. Chicago, the team's closest competitor, is 9 points behind. Washington has the most wins and fewest regulation losses of any team. But after being bounced from the playoffs in a seven-game second-round classic last year, the team's success against Pittsburgh has got to be the most exciting development for Capitals fans as the playoffs loom.

Of course, it's important not to get too excited. The Penguins haven't exactly been lighting it up recently, having won just 11 of 23 games since Feb. 1.

And, as Coach Bruce Boudreau pointed out after the game, regular season records are just that: regular season records. The playoffs are an entirely different beast.

“It's nice that we did it, and I'm happy that we did it but I don't think it would mean a hill of beans if we met them in the playoffs,” he said of sweeping the regular season series.

Recent history says he's right. Last season, the Capitals won three of four games against the Penguins before losing in the playoffs.

Still, sweeping the regular season series has got to be better than not sweeping the regular season series, if only for the confidence boost it provides. It's hard to argue the Capitals aren't the most talented team in the league. But after the way last season ended, a few losses to the Penguins this year could have shaken Washington's psyche.


Instead, with the season series in hand, the Capitals are ending the season on a high note, confident they can beat the Penguins – or anyone else they face – come playoff time.