The Philadelphia Flyers defied expectations by making an honestly pretty astounding push to the playoffs. If they want to advance beyond the first round, they’ll need to beat really big odds once more.
Even if some bring up ghosts of previous playoff disappointments, the Washington Capitals still stand as one of the league’s favorites going into the postseason after cruising to a Presidents’ Trophy win.
Of course, big regular season achievements bring big pressure, and opponents continue to key on that narrative.
First, the subject was broached by Cal Clutterbuck of the New York Islanders to the New York Post back in late March:
“I don’t think it’s a positive thing when you turn on the TV every single time and you have everybody in the world telling you you’re supposed to win the Stanley Cup,” Clutterbuck said. “I’d hate to be the Washington Capitals right now. A lot of pressure.”
Again, that’s some bulletin board material that maybe can be filed away later (along with Washington’s response), as the Capitals drew the Flyers instead of the Islanders in round one.
Former Capitals goalie Michal Neuvirth didn’t do as much of a hard sell as Clutterbuck did, yet he did seem to gently nudge things in his former teammates’ direction, as NHL.com reports.
“It’s playoffs,” Neuvirth said. “You’re motivated as much as you want, but obviously we’ve got a great team. It’s going to be a lot of pressure on them and it’s going to be a good series.”