Washington Capitals

Why the Caps should hope to finish 2nd and face the Penguins
March 17, 2017, 1:30 PM ET [58 Comments]
James Tanner
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Hello Friends,

The Capitals lost last night in overtime.

The NHL spoiled us with a wicked Thursday Schedule that saw Marchand vs McDavid for the scoring title (each with three points) the Leafs rebound with a shutout and Subban and Ovechkin in the same game.

Obviously no one wants to watch Carolina play the Wild or Florida play Columbus, but otherwise there was a ton of great games and it was a total feast for anyone with Centre Ice.

Besides just watching a game filled with players you'd pay to see just them alone, the only real point of interest in last night's game was the standings.

The Capitals are definitely going to the Playoffs, it's just a matter of who they'll play.




They can win the President's Trophy and get a first round matchup with Toronto, Boston or Tampa. That isn't a very good reward for winning.

Toronto is one of the only teams that can match Washington's offense. Looking at their record of 14 OT losses, it's clear they should have a better record.

Same goes with Boston. Other than Washingon and Pittsburgh, you can make a pretty good case that Boston might actually be the next best team in the East. Sure, the standings don't say that but it is my mathematically backed opinion that people do not account for how much parity and therefore luck contributes to team's records at the NHL level.

The Bruins and Leafs could easily, without playing any different way, with the same exact roster, be leading the Atlantic.

Same goes for Tampa. They are a team beset by injuries. If I was the Capitals, I would rather face anyone in the East besides Tampa.

If you think about it, the Capitals play the Penguins, Rangers and Blue Jackets so much throughout the season, that they know how to play and how to strategize and presumably beat them.

The Leafs are too fast, Boston too gritty and Tampa too good.

The Capitals should prefer not to win the division. It would be ideal to play the Islanders, but that is not looking likely. The odds of a bad first round match up are extremely high if they win the division.

Instead, they're better off facing New York , Columbus or Pittsburgh.

No matter what, the Capitals have to go through one of those teams to get to the Stanley Cup Final. Why not face them when they are fresh? When they are the healthiest?

Don't risk looking past the Leafs and getting burned by their speed and youth. Or risk a similar situation with anyone else.

The fact is, the path to the Cup goes through Pittsburgh or Columbus anyways, the NHL playoff seeding is a Joke that doesn't properly reward first place teams, and most of the potential first round matchups are scary.



Furthermore, this is a team with psychological problems. They have had the same core for so long, and - fair or not - they have a reputation as a team that can't win in the Playoffs. If they open up against Toronto and lose the first game on home-ice, things could easily spiral out of control.

A best case scenario for the Capitals is Columbus taking the title, and a first round date with Pittsburgh. Just to get it out of the way. Plus, there's no risk. If they lose to the Penguins, well, it sucks, but they lost to the best.

Playing Pittsburgh in the first round is such big matchup no one is going to care about a rep for blowing it in the playoffs. Against anyone else, the cries will be deafening at the first sign of the Capitals being in trouble.

It sounds counter-intuitive, but the best first round matchup for Washington is Pittsburgh.

If things work out so that the Capitals play the Jackets, so be it. I think the Jackets are an easier opponent than the Lightning, Leafs or Bruins.

Bottom line: Caps do not need another President's Trophy.