A Painful Pratfall

It wasn't that long ago - the day of the trade deadline, really - when the Washington Capitals were the fashionable choice to come out of the non-playoff pack and grab a post-season position.

That seemed logical if only because the Caps added three players - Cristobal Huet, Sergei Fedorov and Matt Cooke - and because they had two chances to make the post-season, either by earning the eighth and final post-season berth in the Eastern Conference or by catching the Rod Brind'Amour-less Carolina Hurricanes and winning the Southeast Division.

Now both look unlikely.

The Caps are six points back of eighth place Philadelphia and seven points in arrears of surging Carolina after losing two painful games on the weekend, both largely because of major brain cramps by individual players.

On Saturday afternoon, the Caps were leading Boston on the road 1-0 late in the game when goon Donald Brashear high-sticked one Bruin then launched a haymaker at Boston blueliner Shane Hnidy. Brashear ended up with six minutes in penalties, and when more Caps went to the box shortly thereafter, the B's ended up scoring two 5-on-3 goals and winning the game.

Then came Sunday afternoon. Oh my.

With less than a minute left and Pittsburgh pressing for a road victory in D.C., the two teams were tied 2-2 when the Caps star rookie Nicklas Backstrom pulled a Bryan McCabe.

Yep, drilled the puck right into his own net for the winning goal. And from almost the same spot that McCabe engineered his own goal in Buffalo earlier this season.

Moments later, Alex Ovechkin was stripped by Evgeni Malkin in the neutral zone, and Malkin set up the clinching goal into an open net.

From Brashear to Backstrom, then, the Caps went from a potential dark horse for the Stanley Cup playoffs to a team unlikely to make it.

You think its painful for the Maple Leafs to be playing their best hockey of the season with no chance to make the playoffs?

Try the Caps predicament. One lost weekend turned great promise into what is likely to be another spring on the outside looking in.

Now, it appears there won't be a group of three or four teams in each conference fighting to get into the playoffs right up until the final day of the season.

In the east, only ninth place Buffalo has a realistic chance to still get in. Out west, going into play yesterday only ninth place Nashville still had serious hopes of making it to the dance.

With a month to go in the season, a bit of stretch run drama has already evaporated. The rest will jostle for positioning in the Stamkos Cup.

Comments

[Laker]

The difference between the Leafs and the Capitals is simple.

The Capitals are sold as a team that is building towards a playoff spot, having been on the outside looking in. They are doing all the right things to edge forward.

The Leafs on the other hand are doing all the wrong things. NTC's that aren't waived, going on a run when you aren't going to get in anyways but assures a crappy draft spot AND thinking they are all superstars. It gets old.

[Earl Nelville]

When I look at the standings my first inclination is to think that it will be an exciting race to the playoff finish line but in reality it's not. The way in which points are meted out numbs the enthusiasm. It's interesting to note that a team could lose every one of its 82 regular season games in overtime and yet quite possibly make the playoffs. Highly unlikely but statistically possible. Highly unlikely but statistically possible is the reality for most of the teams crowding the playoff doorway. In turn, the race for the final 8 spots in each conference is predictable and boring.
Is there anything else they can do to our game to make it less interesting. Now teams can get points for losing, others get 2 points at the end of a game by winning a skills competition and referees can make mistakes and can't be second guessed. I'm so excited by it all. Wake me up in June when someone finally wins Stanley.

[Tree Q]

If ever there was a case for phasing the marginal talent of the goons out of the game, Brashear's moronic display surely makes the argument stronger. If I was a Capital of Capital's fan, I'd be furious. I have yet to hear any reasonable argument as to why the goon should remain such an ingrained role in hockey. Don Cherry has a Svengali-like hold over the hockey fans in this country - how else can you justify naming him one of the top 10 Canadians?!?

[Janesie]

Cherry called Brashear out on Saturday night, using the word dumb. He did, however, make note of Lucic and Thornton fighting Bradley and Brashear, respectively. His note was the Caps should have let off the pedal in the 10-2 romp and the Bruins responded at home with two bouts only 14 seconds into the rematch.

[pt]

Too bad the Caps appear to be on the outside looking in.
They look like a team worth watching in April/May.

Perhaps events just might work out in spite of the Leafs most recent mini run.
Die hard leaf fans had their one last kick at the can.
But it appears the leafs will still get a good pick in the draft.

While the dynamic Stamkos, tho more a Sam Gagne than Ovechkin, and
the puck moving Doughty, think Kaberle but better, will be gone,
they should have a crack at Pietrangelo, Schenn, or Bogosian all
solid defencemen prospects.

[charade]

Gawd, the NHL must be DYING for Ovie to get into the playoffs. I bet he's not too happy about it either.

[Bruce]

Stamkos Cup.......

Well Damien you just blew any chances the Leafs might have at getting a shot at drafting Stamkos. By calling it a "CUP" the Leafs are after, then you know they will surely screw it up.

[eric]

You read my mind Darren! Watching the game I asked my girlfriend why is Brashear out there with a 1-0 lead and not 5 seconds later it all happened! As for Sunday, nothing surprises me when we play the Penguins. The list of unfathomable choke jobs against that team is too long to list here. Hopefully Huet is signed for 2-3 years while we wait for Varlamov and Neuvirth and this team will definitely make it next year.