What Went Wrong: Last One In, First One Out

It's really funny how things work in sports. Those who have had a regular 9-to-5 are familiar with the following phrase: "Last one hired, first one fired." A lot of companies swear by that, especially when it comes time for layoffs. In some crazy cases, the playoffs are no exception. We have seen instances where the last team to get into the playoffs sometimes ends up being the first team eliminated, though last year, the last team to get in ended up three wins short of winning the Stanley Cup.

Regarding this NHL season, the Washington Capitals were the 16th and last team to lock in a spot in this year's playoffs. We know how they got in; their Game 82 opponents, the Philadelphia Flyers, forgot that they were officially eliminated about a minute prior and pulled the goalie looking for a regulation win, only for the Caps to score a game-winning goal into an empty net. The Capitals made it, but they would face off against the Presidents' Trophy winning New York Rangers. Even in this "anything can happen" league, we can't expect another upset like we saw last year. We got nothing close to that. The Rangers dominated and swept the series; outscoring the Caps by a combined score of 15-7.

So with that, the Capitals went from being the last team to get in to the playoffs, to having the dishonor of being the first team to be ousted from them as well. There is always a first. No one wants that label, but at least if you're going to be the first one out, having some semblance of a chance and a fight does soften the blow. Regarding the 2023-24 Caps, well, they didn't have either. If I had to pinpoint what went wrong for the Capitals, I would think that it's a simple case of the team just being happy to be there. After all, not many people expected Washington to get in, so they did exceed some expectations.

This loss continues the Capitals' playoff woes after winning the Stanley Cup in 2018. It was on June 7, 2018 that the Caps finally reached the top and captured their first Stanley Cup. However, that would be the last playoff series they would win, as of this point. Four straight first round exits, followed by totally missing the playoffs last year, and now, this sweep. The stats for this year's playoffs were also lethargic. Only six players had multiple points in the series, and the highest point total on the team was three, shared by Martin Fehevary and Tom Wilson. T.J. Oshie, one of the top players on the team, only had a solitary point (an assist) all series.

However, here is the most glaring attribute:

Zero. Nada. Zilch. A total goose egg for Alex Ovechkin. For the first time in his storied career, the man known as the "Great Eight" was completely shut out in the playoffs. No goals, no helpers, no points. In addition, Ovechkin had only five total shots on goal, and went shotless in Games One and Four. Overall, Ovechin has 141 career playoff points, and I thought he would add at least one assist to his amazing total, but the Rangers totally shut him down.

As I said before, I think the Capitals were in "happy to be there" mode, but a team has to do as much as possible against the odds. The Capitals just couldn't do it. Of course, when you're playing against a high-powered Rangers team, these things happen. So what's next for the Capitals? Well, of course, all eyes will be on Ovechkin next season. He has 853 total goals, needing just 42 to surpass Wayne Gretzky's career total, so yeah, there will be high attention directed towards Ovi in that regard. I would also think that the Caps would do their best to build off this season. Usually when teams make surprise playoff appearances, it turns into something more in later seasons. Next year will definitely determine if that statement is true or not.

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