Top-seed Caps find themselves in unfamiliar position

By Bud L. Ellis

Fifty-four times out of 82 regular-season games, the Washington Capitals left the ice a winner. Certainly, just about everybody expected that familiar outcome as the NHL playoffs began.

But the Presidents’ Trophy winner woke up Friday morning staring at a playoff deficit. After a lackluster performance at Verizon Center resulted in a 3-2 overtime loss to No. 8-seed Montreal on Thursday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, the Caps spent Friday trying to figure out what happened … and making sure it doesn’t happen again.

With Game 2 on tap for Saturday, and with the series about to head north of the border for Games 3 and 4 in Montreal on Monday and Wednesday, the Caps cannot afford to have another disappointing performance.

Nobody was more disappointing for Washington in Game 1 than 50-goal scorer Alexander Ovechkin. For the first time in his 417-game NHL career, the Caps’ leading scorer did not register a goal, an assist or a shot on goal. Add in a power play that went 0-for-4, and it adds up to Washington being in a very unfamiliar position.

Washington lost just 11 times at home in the regular season, scored a league-best 318 goals and spent most of the second half looking like the hands-down favorite for the Stanley Cup. But another performance like Thursday would put the Caps in an 0-2 hole, and would mean Washington would have to win four out of five just to escape the first round.

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Friday, April 16, 2010 at 9:52 pm by bud

Tags: Alexander Ovechkin, Montreal Canadians, National Hockey League, Verizon Center, Washington Capitals