Why Washington Capitals don't deserve to make the Playoffs -NHL Special
There are few teams with such a talented roster like the Washington Capitals and with that said, still not being able to secure a top spot in the Eastern Conference and struggling to even make the postseason in the final remaining games just goes to show
how they do not deserve it at all.
Washington has two more games remaining on their 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season schedule. Capitals will be hosting Florida Panthers on Thursday and go on for a season finale against New York Rangers on Saturday. Losing anyone could
jeopardize their postseason chances seeing how Buffalo is right on their trail with a 88 point tie for the eight spot.
The thing about Capitals is that being a team that finished off atop the East at the end of the past two seasons, is now struggling to make it even in the top eight. There has not been any significant injury that affected the team along with a decline in
player performance.
As long as the playoffs are in the scene, Washington players do not care which seed they end in, which is not something they should be proud of but unfortunately, they are.
“I don’t think we care what seed we’re in,” center Nicklas Backstrom said. “As long as we’re in the playoffs — we know there’s good teams in there. I don’t think it matters, just got to focus on winning the last two games.”
Washington captain, Alex Ovechkin, is playing better than ever with 63 points (36 goals, 27 assists) in 76 games played along with the return of Nicklas Backstrom after missing nearly half of the season. Capitals should be ruling their division and conference,
but this year, it is the total opposite.
Florida Panthers, a team that finished last in East last season is doing so well that they stand at number three with 92 points and lead the South Eastern Division. A team that has not made the playoffs in over a decade is now teaching a team, which ranks
as one of the best, how hockey is supposed to be played.
One thing that is on Washington’s side is that Buffalo would have to exceed the Capitals in points or else the Sabres will lose if the situation comes down to a tie-breaker. Washington has more regulation and overtime wins with a 36-32 advantage.
“It’s nice to know exactly what it is. We always say that you hold your own fate in your hands and now we actually know exactly what we have to do,” defenseman Karl Alzner said. “It’s not like try to win five of the next eight games, it’s win two and you’re
good. That’s pretty much it. It’s simple.”
Washington has not had much success in the playoffs, something that brought the team and captain Ovechkin under intense scrutiny despite making it big in the regular season, but this time, Capitals are barely even making the playoffs.
Former coach, Bruce Boudreau, was also fired earlier this season due to their poor performance that had them below the playoff line and now with new coach, Dale Hunter, things are not looking any better. This will certainly give the team’s higher ups to
think about since changing around the coaching staff certainly did not yield the desired results.
If Washington fails to make the playoffs, something that they truly deserve, seeing some players being shifted around the league will certainly not be surprising, including Alex Ovechkin.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: