ARLINGTON, Va. — Curious that the Capitals practice near the cemetery. Some find it appropriate until proven otherwise.
Winners of four straight Southeast Division titles, it’s what they lately have failed to do in the playoffs that is the monkey on their backs. The Capitals have won exactly one playoff round since being swept by the Red Wings in the 1998 finals, and that one triumph came over the Rangers in the first round in 2009, when they rallied from a 3-1 deficit.
Of course, the Rangers have not covered themselves with glory either, winning just two playoff series since 1997. This time, someone gets out of the first round, which opens in Washington tomorrow.
Last season, the Capitals ran away with the Eastern Conference, tallying 121 points for the Presidents’ Trophy, and crashed out from a 3-1 series lead with three straight losses to eighth-seeded Montreal.
They finished with 107 points this season, nipping the Penguins and fading Flyers for another Eastern Conference top seed and another first-round matchup against the eighth seed. They may not dwell on their spring falls themselves, but they are asked about them often enough to be reminded.
“What happened last year is last year — we’re looking at a new and fresh start,” Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said yesterday. “Whatever happens happens, but I don’t think we’re worried about anything else. We’re ready. Things haven’t worked out like we’d like them to the last two or three years.”
With Alex Ovechkin down to 32 goals and Alexander Semin at 28, the Capitals claim they are playing a more defensive game now. Still, the expectation is that as Ovechkin goes, so go the Caps. He has 20 goals in 28 career playoff games, a heroic pace.
“All of us here from the last couple of years, when you lose, you try to see what happened,” Ovechkin said. “We have to be more responsible, and it’s time to show it. We have a lot of guys who want to win.”
Those of a certain age remember that it was consecutive playoff losses to the Capitals in 1990 and 1991 that prompted former Rangers general manager Neil Smith to acquire Mark Messier from current Rangers GM Glen Sather, then with the Oilers.
Some of the same leadership expectation, if in a smaller dose, was behind the Capitals’ Feb. 28 acquisition of Jason Arnott from the Devils. The former Predators captain and scorer of the Devils’ Cup-winning goal in 2000, Arnott was brought in primarily to center a threatening second line, currently between Semin and Marco Sturm. Arnott also was expected to lend his playoff experience to this team, which has lost seven of its past eight series.
“When I first went to the Devils,” Arnott recalled, “we went out in the first round two straight years [1998 and 1999]. But as soon as we won that first series [in 2000], the monkey was off our back, and we were off and running.”
Such memories do not help put pucks behind Henrik Lundqvist. High shots, rebounds and screens are on Washington’s agenda.
“We’ve done enough talking,” Arnott said. “Everyone in here wants to win really badly, especially the superstar players. There’s not much you can say, or have to, to ramp them up.”
Except for a 1-in-8 mark when it counts. That does it every time.
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Boudreau said defenseman Mike Green is ready to play after being hit in the head with a shot Feb. 6 and then elbowed in the head by Derek Stepan on Feb. 25 during a 6-0 Rangers victory in Washington. Defenseman Denis Wideman remains out.
Boudreau has not revealed whether Michal Neuvirth or Semyon Varlamov will start in goal. . . . Former Ranger Mike Knuble, 38, who scored 24 goals for Capitals this season, signed a one-year, $2 million contract extension.