ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Washington Capitals will continue to be judged for what they've failed to do as a team, no matter how many individual accolades they may receive.
Four players remain from the core assembled in Washington over the past decade-plus: captain Alex Ovechkin, forwards Nicklas Backstrom and Brooks Laich and defenseman Mike Green. These were the players who shouldered the expectation of a Stanley Cup championship in the nation's capital, but four times playing together the Capitals have blown a two-game lead and lost a Stanley Cup Playoff series.