Whether you blame it all on Alex Ovechkin or not, the bottom line is that the Pittsburgh Penguins eliminated the Washington Capitals in a 4-3 overtime Game 6 thriller.
The Capitals reflected on their special 2015-16 season and disappointing finish after that heart-stopping loss.
Most directly, Ovechkin said it best and bluntly:
Alex Ovechkin the most emotional I've ever seen him: 'In the end we lost in the second round, so it sucks.' #CapitalsTalk
— Chuck Gormley (@CharlesAGormley) May 11, 2016
(You can see more from Ovechkin in the video above this post.)
Beyond that, the Capitals seemed resolute in defeat.
Tough going home early but still proud of the fellas! Thanks for all your support #Caps fans. Stick with us. Special group here! #CapsBoiis
— TJ Oshie (@TJOshie77) May 11, 2016
The Capitals aren’t oblivious to the criticisms about falling short of deeper playoff runs.
Trotz: "We’ve made some progress, but obviously not enough. We need to get through this round. That’s part of the deal. .."
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) May 11, 2016
Some look at this as a cruelly missed opportunity, but even so, there might be some light at the end of the tunnel.
Kuznetsov is 23. Burakovsky is 21. Seven top-9 Fs, 5 of top 6 Ds + Vezina finalist goalie are not yet 30. #Caps title window is wiiide open.
— Corey Masisak (@cmasisak22) May 11, 2016
... It’s probably difficult to see that now.
Hardest way to end the season. Proud to be a part of this group as they are best I've ever played with. We will learn and be better #caps
— Daniel Winnik (@Danwinnik34) May 11, 2016