The Washington Capitals hosted the New York Rangers tonight, and the best way to describe their performance was “a microcosm of the franchise in the last 10 or so years”.
The Caps started with a 2-0 lead, at home, and looked like they were going to coast to victory against a pretty good team. They ended up allowing the next 4 goals, while failing ton contribute any more of their own. NHL thorn in the side Jimmy Vesey two of the goals, and the Caps blew a heartbreaker. It’s just an early season game, but points matter just as much now as they do in March.
The franchise has had the best skater in hockey for the last 10 years. Sidney Crosby at his best was better than Alex Ovechkin, but he has started to show signs of decline, but Ovie has remained steady. With that as a baseline, the Caps should at least be competitive year in and year out. That they’ve been in the playoffs with regularity is commendable, but isn’t enough.
Much like the Capitals should have been able to seal the deal tonight, the Caps should have sealed the deal at least once since Ovechkin joined the league. The good news is, the 2016-17 Capitals have several more chances to write their wrong, the same can’t be said for the organization as a whole. Ovechkin is 31 this season. Will he want to continue to come up short, if he does again in Washington? Will his level of play continue to match what he produces now? Will he want, eventually, to return to Russia? Time is running out on the Caps. They blew it tonight, but they hope they haven’t wasted the game’s best player.
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