The past 4 seasons have been extremely heartbreaking for the Washington Capitals. After taking the Philadelphia Flyers to game 7 and losing at home in overtime in Round 1 of the playoffs, the Caps did the same to the Rangers, but won instead. They lost in the next round however to their long-time Playoff Nemesis, the Pittsburgh Penguins. The next year after getting the President's Trophy, they lost to Montreal in 7 games after being up 3-1. And last year, despite beating the Rangers in 5 games, got swept out in the second round by the Tampa Bay Lightning. This year however, after seasons of looking for a Championship, the team that likes to play all in when the chips are down may finally be able to do so.
The Capitals, having clinched a Playoff spot on Thursday at home against Florida, will open the first round against the Boston Bruins. The Bruins won last year's Stanley Cup over Vancouver in 7 games. While the Capitals won the series against the Bruins this year 3-1, most favor the Bruins due to their playoff experience and because the Capitals struggled throughout the year with various injuries to Backstrom, Vokoun and most recently Neuvirth. The Capitals also fired coach Bruce Boudreau for Dale Hunter of the CHL, a move that fans are already seeking a change for. They've been the definition of discombobulated all season, something that can't be said of Boston. The Bruins enjoyed mostly stable results all season. Despite a slow start, they went on an early tear from early November to mid December maintaining their position near the top of the Eastern Conference all season. All in all, this matchup should favor them greatly due to their overwhelming consistency throughout the season.
There is one thing however that most people overlook about the Washington Capitals and that is their ability to rise to the occasion when they are perceived to be the underdog in a game or series. This has been a constant thing in their entire history, but has cropped up recently in their play style. In some games they are down 2 or 3 goals heading in the final period only to win in regulation. While the Capitals have also experienced a reversal of this fortune sometimes this season, they have only lost once when leading by 2 or more goals after 2 periods of play, the best winning percentage in the League. This is something they will have to overcome if they wish to beat Boston in Round 1, especially without the crutch of the shootout.
If Washington gets past Boston in the first round, they will have a much easier road ahead of them. They will likely face the New York Rangers, Florida Panthers or Pittsburgh Penguins in the next round. The Rangers are the most likely team, and even though the Rangers have a regular season advantage over the Capitals, they have beaten the Rangers in each of the last 2 postseasons they have played one another. That ultimately leads to a potential showdown with the Pittsburgh Penguins, a team Washington has only beaten once in a postseason series. It's something the Capitals desire, even though they haven't been able to meet up, either because of their own sub par play or because of Pittsburgh's injuries. If the Capitals were to win a Stanley Cup, they would certainly have to beat the Penguins first.
The proper example would be the Boston Red Sox. In order for them to win their first World Series Championship in 86 years, in 2004 they had to defeat the New York Yankees to get there. The World Series for Boston that year was a cakewalk, having easily won it in 4 straight games. I'm not saying the Capitals would sweep the Stanley Cup Finals if they got there, but I feel if they got there, having beaten the Penguins to do so, they would feel and play like an unstoppable machine. Why? Because to them beating Pittsburgh is their Stanley Cup. Actually winning it would be like icing on the cake.
There's no real way to see if Washington will win the Stanley Cup or not. However, this is just an outline of how it will happen, should it happen this year.
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