The Caps’ title defense is over.
The season ended in gut-wrenching fashion with a double overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, in Game 7.
Yet, this feels different, perhaps in part because there is something in Capital One Arena this year that wasn’t there before. A Stanley Cup Championship banner. No matter what happens, nobody can take that away. The season may have ended earlier than expected, but the playoffs are unpredictable and that is what makes it fun. All four division winners were eliminated in the first round, so it wasn’t just Washington who underachieved this season.