With total disregard for Jim Mora's advice, we're going to talk about playoffs. The NHL season's over (OK, Anaheim and Edmonton still have to play an entirely meaningless game). Despite losing in overtime tonight, the Capitals have the most wins (54) and points (121) in the league. They'll meet the Montreal Canadiens in the first round.
Much has been made of the Cap's offensive prowess this season, and I won't recap that here. But think about this: Alexander Ovechkin finished the season with 50 goals, one behind league leaders Steven Stamkos and Sidney Crosby (grr). WITHOUT Ovie, the Caps would have 268 goals, which would be good for third in the league. Basically, the Caps are the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, and everyone knows it.
That might be the problem. The Capitals are a young team. Ovie's 24; Alexander Semin's 26; Nicklas Backstrom's just 22. Great news for the future, but youth could be a problem this year. It remains to be seen how Caps' stars will perform under the weight of the district's expectations.
If last year was any indication, it could be a rocky ride. In the last playoffs, the Caps fell to 3-1 against the pesky Rangers before rebounding to beat them in seven games. They then lost to the Penguins in seven games.
That was it. Despite finishing the regular season with a team record 108 points last season, the Caps failed to even make the Eastern Conference Finals. And despite their success against the Penguins in the regular season, they couldn't deal with them come playoff time.
The Caps are a year older now, but it remains to be seen whether they're any wiser. And if last year's troubles were at all a result of mounting pressure to perform, one can only imagine how they'll hander the even greater pressure on them this year.
If they can handle the pressure, they should come away with with the Stanley Cup. If they buckle, they'll be going home early once again.
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