It is October.
It is not how you start - it is how you finish.
Enjoy the ride.
But don’t ever get too high with the highs and too low with the lows.
Everyone knows Washington hasn’t been able to get it done once the games start counting for something. The Caps went a combined 195-93-19-21 the past four regular seasons, winning the Southeast division each time, and – here’s the key stat – won a grand total of two playoff series.
The Caps are often placed in the same boat as the Sharks and Canucks, two other teams that have put together great regular seasons the past few years and are still looking for their first Stanley Cup titles in franchise history.
But at least San Jose and Vancouver have managed to escape the second round. At least their fans have felt real playoff excitement. Caps fans have only felt the excitement that comes with eliminating the New York Rangers.
Suffice to say there are more exciting feelings.
On the other hand, there’s nothing wrong with optimism. Washington is rolling, and with new additions like Tomas Vokoun, Joel Ward, Troy Brouwer and Roman Hamrlik, there’s plenty of reason to think things could be different this time.
No confidence in the goaltending? Vokoun.
Not enough grit? Ward and Brouwer.
Not enough…Roman Hamrlik? Hamrlik.
The Caps head out on a two-game road trip to Edmonton (Thursday) and Vancouver (Saturday). Eight of their next 11 will be away from the Verizon Center. We’ll see if the good times keep rolling. If they don’t, try not to freak out, OK Caps fans?