As the Caps vs. Flyers Game 7 third period ended in a tie, I turned to my wife and said, "If the game goes past midnight, I've got enough cash for the cab home (to Bethesda) -- happily, if the Caps win." Metro Rail closes at midnight, but the cost of a taxi home was nothing next to the chance of a multi-OT Game 7, particularly one that could result in a Capitals victory.

Sadly, as we well know, that's not how the night ended. But it got me thinking: What would happen if a game went past Metro's last call? As players and fans at the quadruple OT sharks at Stars game in Round 2 stumbled into the morning hours, I reflected that Dallas fans would not experience the same problem that Washington fans might. After all, Dallas has practically no public transportation, so 99.9% of the fans likely drove to the game. It's a different story in our nation's capital.

So in light of another multi-OT grinder last night, and the likelihood of the Capitals' frequent return to the post-season for years to come, be reassured: The Capitals and WMATA have got you covered.

A WMATA representative provided a breakdown of their policy for the Nationals and other DC-area sporting events. She explained that WMATA has a standing agreement with Nationals Stadium to operate the rail system beyond normal hours if Nationals games go into extra innings -- which makes sense, since any of the Nats' 81 regular-season games could go well into extra innings. With regard to other sports events, "the sponsoring team makes arrangements with Metro in advance to operate beyond normal hours."

I also contacted Kurt Kehl of the Washington Capitals; he confirmed that, in the event of extended playoff OT (or even, one would assume, some sort of interruption that significantly delays a regular-season contest), fans need not worry about getting home:

The simple answer is yes, Metro will always make sure that fans get home after a game at the Verizon Center. Metro will keep Gallery Place open and have trains available to get people home. Metro has had a long-standing agreement with Verizon Center to make sure no one would ever be stranded, and they have service agreements in place just in case a hockey, basketball or concert event runs past midnight Sunday to Thursday.

So as Alex Ovechkin leads the Capitas into the 2008-09 playoffs and beyond, Capitals fans needn't let travel concerns make them consider early departure -- they can devote full attention to the ice.

As for work the next day . . . well, that's what caffeine is for, no?