Habs celebrate over the carcass of Washington's season.
What else is there really left to say at this point? Everyone who has been paying attention for the past two weeks knows the score: the Washington Capitals, the best team in hockey over the 2009-10 NHL regular season is going home, vanquished in seven games by the weakest team in the entire draw, the Montreal Canadiens.
At the start of this month, no one would have dared predict that it could happen. At the start of this month, no one would have dared believe it could happen. Hell, most of us sitting here in the press lounge still can't quite believe it happened.
So what's the why behind what now has to be considered the biggest disappointment in Caps postseason history? I'll try my best to recount the carnage:
His name is Halak. Jaroslav Halak: Here in DC, plenty of folks know the name of Carey Price thanks to the role he played a couple of years ago in helping Hamilton to a Calder Cup Finals win over the Hershey Bears. Fewer knew the name of Halak, the unheralded backup who won the job away from Price this season after toiling in the minors himself. After getting chased after Washington's Game Three win, Halak only yielded three goals on 134 shots. That's a save percentage of .978.
Habs Black Out Washington Power Play: Over the length of the series, Washington's power play, which was the best in the NHL in the regular season, went 1 for 33 against Montreal. Now, if you've watched hockey for any length of time, you know that plenty of broadcasters like to fall back on the old saw that your goalie is ultimately your best penalty killer, and Halak was certainly that for Montreal.
But Halak is only part of the story. Witness the final power play of the season. With time running out and goalie Semyon Varlamov pulled for an extra attacker, Washington still couldn't hold the puck in the offensive zone. For the entire series, the Caps looked lost with an extra attacker. Shots from the point were blocked frequently and with ease. The passing lanes were consistently clogged with Montreal sticks, and Washington never seemed to be able to hold the zone. Perhaps most damning of all, the team couldn't even manage to score on its only 5-on-3 advantage of the series that came in Game Six. Meanwhile, Montreal's power play was merely average, clocking in at a 20% success rate. It was really all they would need.
The "Passengers": After Washington squandered a chance to put Montreal away at home in Game Five, Head Coach Bruce Boudreau went to pains to point out that not everyone on his roster was pulling their weight. In particular, he said that there were "five or six passengers," on the roster who simply weren't getting things done. Well, Boudreau wasn't afraid to call out some of those folks, but we ought to spell out just who he was talking about right now: Alexander Semin (0 goals on a team-leading 44 shots); Mike Green (0 goals, 0 power play points, 12 costly PIMs and countless giveaways, including one that led to the insurance goal that put away Game Seven all while piling up more ice time than any other player on the roster); Tomas Fleischmann (0 goals, scratched in Game Seven); Brendan Morrison (0 goals, scratched twice); David Steckel (0 goals, scratched four times).
Alexander Semin and Brendan Morrison might want to keep their bags packed.
If you were wondering if there were any hidden injuries, head coach Bruce Boudreau dispelled those rumors after the game, pointing out that the only member of the team who was injured was Tom Poti, who was lost for the series after suffering an eye injury in Game Six.
There's more, plenty more, but to wrap things up, I think we ought to lay out what this franchise has achieved over the past three seasons to put it all into perspective.
Positive: 2007-08: Took the Southeast Division by one point after being left for dead in November, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2003. 2008-09: Won second straight Southeast Division title. Won first playoff series (vs. Rangers) since 1998. 2009-10: Won third straight Southeast Division title. Won first Eastern Conference title in team history. Won first President's Trophy in team history, qualifying for home ice throughout the playoffs.
Negative: Played four playoff series in three seasons. Qualified as the higher seed each time (#3, #2 and #1). Extended to seven games in every series by lower seeds. Lost Game Seven at home three times.
Conclusion: Despite enjoying incredible regular season success, it appears that the Washington Capitals, for whatever reason, are a team that isn't built for postseason success. So what comes next? Even Boudreau admitted after tonight's game that Game Seven is the last time this exact lineup is going to be together. Sure, that might be a cliche of sorts in every sport when the season comes to an end, but after suffering what has to be considered the most crushing defeat in the history of the organization, one has to wonder out loud whether or not Ted Leonsis will come to General Manager George McPhee and Boudreau looking for some sort of action plan to right the ship.
It's hard to overstate just what a first round defeat does to an organization. While it's easy to focus on the emotional damage right now, there are also practical business implications. There's the playoff revenue that was lost after failing to advance. There are season ticket holders who would have renewed their plans who won't now. After a loss, it will be harder to sell tickets and sponsorships. Television ratings, which have been trending upward for three seasons, could very well take a hit too.
I could say more, but to tell you the truth, I'm out of answers right now. And, as it turns out, so is the team captain:
