Capital Mistakes
Another playoff season is underway in the NHL and two things have remained consistent. One being the absolute absence of the Edmonton Oilers, a team so fraught with mediocrity it's scary, and the other being another ludicrous exit by the 'promising' Washington Capitals.
Why the Washington Capitals continue to fester in the pool of 'loserville' is beyond anyone's understanding. Even fans who claim that the Capitals are 'overrated,' although I'm not sure what they mean by that, must be somewhat perplexed as to why the Caps seem to pitter off in the course of the playoffs.
The Caps rounded off the 2011 regular season by clinching the top slot in the Eastern conference, something they had done the previous year which earned them the President's Trophy in 2010. But their early exits in the playoffs has become something of an NHL ritual with both last year and this year's lackluster performances leaving Caps fans seeing red... erm, or rather not seeing red.
Last year the Caps led the series against the struggling Montreal Canadiens by 3-0. But in four short games that all turned around and the eighth seeded Habs managed to knock off the top-ranked Capitals, much to my dismay (and maybe yours). This year things were a little different. The Caps maintained their composure through the first round and bumped off the New York Rangers, along with the popularly hated Sean Avery, in five games.
Fast forward to last week. The Caps faced the Tampa Bay Lightening, or rather, the Caps rolled over for the Bolts in four games and paved them a beautiful road to the Conference finals. With the four-game win for the Bolts the Capitals were left packing and their sudden departure left many scratching their heads. What just happened?
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