So, honestly,where does Montreal over Washington rank in the past 2 decades?

[CrAzYNiNe]

Not quite that simple. It's not just that they play in the SE division, it's that you get 4 more games against those teams than any of the other teams from other divisions. It's more than just the results, too, it's how easily you're able to get them. If the Caps played out this season 5 times in parallel universes, lol, those numbers for the NE and Atl. could change a lot each time. Games against Carolina aside, Washington had a much easier time dispatching divisional opponents compared to other opponents (outscored Atlanta, TB and Florida combined 82-45 in those games, versus 236-188, or, to reduce/simplify the fraction/ratio, 118-94 or 59-47 against the rest of the teams).

I think that goal margin is proportionally double, suggesting the Caps could beat their division rivals (at least slightly) more comfortably and consistently than the other teams. In an 82 game schedule, I have to think that's at least a small factor. Instead of just 1 or 2 points, it could work out to 5 or more depending.

Not to mention 4 of the bottom 6 (NYI and TOR other 2) had the worst goals against in the east... I wonder why?

 

[Kyle McMahon]

People can bring up point totals and divisions and all that, but frankly it's not important. I watched the Capitals this season, and saw them for what they were. A team of skilled individuals up front that loved racing around out their boosting their individual stats, a patchwork defense that never had to play under any pressure or grind out tough minutes due to huge offensive support, and goaltending that was pretty much average. Doesn't shock me at all that a team like this lost.

Now for the record, I predicted a Capitals sweep in this series, but added that they would not move past the second round. I thought the offensive blitzkrieg, "get puck, lower head, race towards net, ignore everything around you" tactic would be able to overwhelm Montreal, expecially since I figured Jacques Martin would just sit back and let it happen. And it almost did, the Caps built a 3-1 lead this way and looked to have the Habs defeated, and then ran into a hot goalie and a defense that was beginning to pick up on the Capitals' predictability. Sitting back like Martin did to defend a one-goal lead in Game 7 for so long will fail more often than it works, but Washington left themselves vulnerable by being unable to adapt.

And at the end of the day, it's Washington. The franchise that's probably blown more playoff series that appeared to be in the bag than all the other teams in the league combined. Nothing that team does should surprise anybody by this point.

 

[John Flyers Fan]

Boudreau has been at the helm for 3 playoffs now, and the Capitals have lost in a Game 7 all three years, in one of the first two rounds (twice Round 1, once Round 2), to a lower-seeded team.

Not that it makes a huge difference, but the Caps were only the higher seed in 2008 because of the SE division.

The 6th seeded Flyers finished with more points than the 3rd seeded Caps.