Ihr Spiel 2008 ist dieses Schlechte gewesen. If a survey were today taken of eight of the nine general managers of teams with viable postseason aspirations in the East, excluding only Ottawa’s Bryan Murray, asking who they’d most like to face in round one, the wager here is that eight out of eight would wish for the Sens. If they qualify.

Odd, isn’t it, how the Caps’ 4-0 record against Ottawa this season had an aura of flukiness about it as it was accomplished, but now in spring seems like the Real McCoy, an authentic barometer of where the two clubs reside. Two months ago HockeyWashington chuckled at the thought of upstaging Ottawa in the playoffs; this morning there is a not-so-implausible scenario of the Caps, and three other Eastern conference teams, passing Ottawa en route to hockey’s greatest regular season collapse. And if somehow the Caps could pass Carolina and secure the third seed, and face a 6th-seeded Sens in round one . . . it’d Cristobal Huet confronting them. Wouldn’t even PTI mention a second-round, Ovechkin-led Caps’ club?

When Bryan Murray led the Senators to 105 points and the Stanley Cup finals last season, with Ray Emery backstopping them in then elite fashion, it seemed as if the ghosts of the underperforming Ottawa past were just that. Including last season, the Senators had enjoyed four consecutive 100-pt. seasons, and six 100-pt. ones in the previous eight. All they had to show for it was a lot of springtime shortcoming (mostly against Toronto). Even now, as the Senators lurch further toward failure and reconstruction, they boast three of the league’s top 12 scorers (Spezza, Heatley, and Alfredsson).

For most of the past eight seasons in Ottawa the Senators, it was widely said, lacked a true game-changer of a netminder, and that was a cruel irony for Bryan Murray in particular. What, annually each spring, undid his 100-pt., Patrick Division dominating clubs in D.C.?

Turns out, Ray Emery isn’t a legit no.1 (to put it mildly).

The Capitals this season were wildly inconsistent prior to the deadline day arrival of the Big Three, which of course included a legit no.1 netminder in his prime.

Seriously sidebar to the Caps’ spectacular March march there is some speculation about what a signed-to-a-multi-year contract Bruce Boudreau might do in terms of making changes to his coaching staff. Perhaps nothing. But if big changes are made this summer in a spectacularly failing Ottawa Senators’ organization, and should Gabby want to tinker, how nice would it be to see Bryan Murray a part of a Cup-winning coaching staff in Washington?

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Posted at 7:00 am. Filed under Eastern Conference, Former Coaches & Players, Morning cup-a-joe, Ottawa Senators, Stanley Cup Playoffs, Washington Capitals.
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9 Comments

  1. Gustafsson wrote:

    Looking at the standings after the game last night, I was also thinking that it is possible we are focusing on the wrong teams above us. Perhaps is just might be Ottawa that we unseed from the playoffs. Who would have thought that not too long ago?

    Sunday, March 30, 2008 at 8:03 am | Permalink
  2. hotdog88gt wrote:

    Hope the Caps aren’t focusing on anything but wins. 94 points if they win out and they could be in or they could be out.

    Sunday, March 30, 2008 at 8:51 am | Permalink
  3. katzistan wrote:

    Um…why would it be nice to have Bryan Murray back with the Caps???

    Sunday, March 30, 2008 at 11:27 am | Permalink
  4. pucksandbooks wrote:

    Um, because he’s the most successful coach in Caps’ history (343 wins), one of the most respected men in all of hockey, and most deserving of a very special ending to his hockey career, whenever that is.

    Sunday, March 30, 2008 at 11:30 am | Permalink
  5. cc Caps fan wrote:

    Rather than adding Murray to the staff how about signing Fedorov to a deal that lets him become assistant coach when he is through playing? That guy has so much hockey knowledge and with the Caps commitment to European players, he could be a great asset.

    Sunday, March 30, 2008 at 5:52 pm | Permalink
  6. katzistan wrote:

    Most successful regular season coach in Caps’ history. True, he’s a classy guy, and I would never wish him anything but the best. But there was a reason he left the Caps, and in all his jobs that have followed, he’s never done anything to refute that reason.

    Sunday, March 30, 2008 at 5:54 pm | Permalink
  7. b.orr4 wrote:

    Also, let’s not forget that we hold every tie breaker against Ottawa. Their game against Montreal on Tuesday will be the key to the playoffs. If they should lose and then have to go to Toronto needing a win, I like the Caps chances.

    Monday, March 31, 2008 at 9:12 am | Permalink
  8. SpartyCuse wrote:

    It pains me to say this as a Caps fan, but tonight (Monday) LETS GO PENS!!!

    The Rags are tied with the B’s and Flyers, but have 1 game in hand. That game is tonight vs. Pittsburgh. If they lose, then its NYR, PHI, and BOS all tied for 6-8, and the Caps 3 points back, with all teams having 3 games left.

    Monday, March 31, 2008 at 11:35 am | Permalink
  9. b.orr4 wrote:

    @SpartyCuse,
    Actually, I think we should be rooting for a Pens loss. I know that sounds ridiculous, but the Rangers have four games left and two are against the Isles. I just don’t realistically think they won’t get four points out of those remaining games. However, if Pittsburgh loses that’s going to keep them hungry for their games against Philly. It will also keep Montreal motivated when they play Ottawa on Tuesday since the Habs are battling the Pens for the top spot in the East. And don’t forget, a Pens loss would also keep the Devils alive for the top spot in the Atlantic and they play the Bruins on Wednesday. Is that complicated enough?

    Monday, March 31, 2008 at 1:01 pm | Permalink

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