This time last year, the Washington Capitals were still wearing the burden of history like an anvil on their back. They were starting their backup goaltender to begin the playoffs. Alex Ovechkin wasn’t getting any younger. Tom Wilson was still a regular customer at the Department of Player Safety’s bank deposit window. They’d won the Metro, but few were picking them to go all the way.
Three hundred sixty-five days later, the narrative surrounding the Caps could not possibly be more different.
As we prepare for tonight’s opening game of the first-round series between the Caps and Carolina Hurricanes, we invited our pals over at Japers’ Rink to give us some insight on what makes the defending champs go and why things may not be so much different entering the playoffs this year despite the bling on their fingers.