Alexa Dettelbach, ESPN Stats & Information 8y

Capitals look to put past playoff failures behind them

The Washington Capitals are one of only four active 40-year-old franchises to never win a Stanley Cup title. Although they have one Finals appearance in 1998 and were in conference finals in 1990 and 1998, the Cup has never been raised in D.C.

Since 2007-08, which was the first season the Capitals first made the playoffs with Alex Ovechkin (2007-08), they have been the beacon of success in the regular season, holding the third-best point percentage in the NHL in that span. But their seven previous playoff appearances have netted just four series wins. They have given up two 3-1 series leads and never made it past the second round.

So for the 56-18-8 Capitals, beware of the past.

The Presidents’ Trophy

This Presidents’ Trophy is the second in Capitals history. The first bore witness to arguably their biggest collapse. Facing the Montreal Canadiens in the first round, Washington jumped out to a 3-1 series lead.

But in Game 5, the Canadiens got on the board just 90 seconds in and outscored the Caps 8-3 the rest of the series, winning in seven games.

Since 2009-10, the Caps are one of two teams to win the Presidents’ Trophy and lose in the first round (the 2011-12 Vancouver Canucks are the other).

Series leads and game 7s

Over the past 30 years, the Caps have been in the playoffs 23 times. In 10 of those 23 appearances they have been up at least two games on their opponent before losing the series. According to Elias Sports Bureau research, that is the most series losses after having a two-game series lead during that span.

Washington has lost all five Game 7s it has played after taking a 3-1 series lead.

Since 2007-08, the Caps are 3-6 in Game 7s and have been outscored 23-13 in those games. No team has a worse goal differential in Game 7s in that span.

The Capitals did sign Justin Williams, who is known as Mr. Game 7, last offseason. Williams has seven goals and seven assists in seven Game 7s. Most importantly, his teams went 7-0 in those games.

Playoff Ovechkin

Ovechkin has been the leading goal scorer in the NHL since he was drafted in 2004, averaging 1.2 points per game in the regular season over his career. His production has barely diminished in the postseason; he averages 0.97 points per game in the playoffs.

But Ovechkin's teams can’t seem to get over the playoff hump. The Elias Sports Bureau notes that he ranks second in most career regular-season goals (525) among players to never have played in the conference finals or Stanley Cup finals. Marcel Dionne scored 731 goals in his 20-year career without making it that far in the postseason.

The Rangers

The past three times the Caps have been in the playoffs (2012, 2013 and 2015), the New York Rangers have knocked them out. In the Ovechkin era, the Rangers have been the Caps’ most common playoff opponent (five series).

If both the Caps and the Rangers win their first-round matchups this time around, they will meet in the second round. That just might be the biggest mental obstacle between the Capitals and the Stanley Cup finals this season.

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