Armed with playoff experience and facing a first-round opponent lacking it, the NHL-best Washington Capitals are again favored to come out of the East.
Of course, it won’t be easy.
Beyond the Capitals being in this position before and continually falling short, the path through the Metropolitan Division and rest of the Eastern Conference is a minefield. To reach the conference final, Washington would have to beat the rookie-heavy Toronto Maple Leafs and then either the Columbus Blue Jackets or defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins – and the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers are formidable on the Atlantic Division side.
“It’s still a heck of a road and teams can really heat up at this time,” Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner said. “Whoever comes out of the East is going to be well-deserving, and we hope that it’s us.”
Alex Ovechkin and linemates Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie are clicking and the Capitals won 11 of their final 14 games. They lost seven of their last 14 games a year ago before the Penguins knocked them out in the second round.