Since the Washington Capitals first made the playoffs with Alex Ovechkin on their roster (2007-08), they’ve been the standard-bearer for regular-season success, holding the second-best point percentage in the NHL in that span (behind the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have won the Stanley Cup twice in that span).
This season, the Capitals became the second team in NHL history to register 55 or more wins in consecutive seasons (after the Montreal Canadiens, 1975-76 to 1977-78). The Canadiens won the Stanley Cup all three of those years in that span.
And yet …
The Ovechkin era has produced eight previous playoff appearances, and that has resulted in five series wins, two blown 3-1 series leads and zero appearances beyond the second round.