May 11, 2018; Tampa, FL, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) skates with the puck during the second period of game one against the Tampa Bay Lightning of the Eastern Conference Final in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Capitals finally slayed the beast. They beat the Pittsburgh Penguins and with it they put to bed any demons they may have had. Looking at their team and their past, it feels like it was good enough. Anything more than this is just cake, right?

This is a long time coming for a team that has seen plenty of disappointment. With players like Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom moving toward the twilight of their careers, it didn’t look possible that they could make it to this point. The team and the players have followed a simple formula. A stifling penalty kill and a sharp power play have carried them. It worked against the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Penguins, and a similar game-plan has a chance of working against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Having lost players like Kevin Shattenkirk, Marcus Johansson, and Justin Williams, it didn’t feel like a club that had enough to bounce back this year. It showed during the season when they were losing games they should have won and winning games they should have lost. They still finished first in the division, and it was despite some poor underlying numbers. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are about superstars and the coin flip goal from a player you weren’t expecting. Ovechkin has shown up but so have Chandler Stephenson, Devante Smith-Pelly and Jakub Vrana making a big impact.

Fans of the Capitals likely find this year ironic. Traditionally, when everything went their way in the regular season they would have nothing left during the playoffs. The tables have turned, and they find themselves a series away from the Stanley Cup Final.

If you even follow hockey a tiny bit you’ll know that the Tampa Bay Lightning are loaded from top to bottom. They have role players that could easily be part of top-6 forward groups on other teams. They don’t have any holes, and it has frustrated two solid clubs already. The Caps have holes and they have areas where they can be exploited. That narrative too took a backseat in Game 1 as the Capitals dispatched the Lightning 4-2 in the opener.

It may very well be the Caps’ year, but as they have learned before, players don’t receive praise for winning a series. They receive it for winning a Stanley Cup. Ovechkin is already in a league almost all on his own, but this puts the cherry on top of it all. How sweet it ends up can be determined by the 2018 playoffs.

About Sam Blazer

Sam is a self proclaimed chess prodigy. He once placed seventh in the state of Ohio in Chess when he was in kindergarten. He will rarely if ever mention though that only eight people were entered in this tournament. Contact him at sblaze17@gmail.com