The Capitals left Verizon Center on Saturday night in a celebratory mood.
The team had just clinched its first Stanley Cup playoff berth in five years with a 3-1 victory over the Florida Panthers. A frenzied sell-out crowd, almost entirely decked out in red, cheered until well after the game’s end — “MVP” at star Alex Ovechkin, “Hip-Hip-Huet” for goaltender Cristobal Huet. Owner Ted Leonsis even blew the fans a kiss on the scoreboard video screen.
But for all the revelry there was one question left lingering: Who the heck are we playing?
Fitting for an Eastern Conference playoff race that made little sense all season, it took until almost the very last regular-season game on Sunday evening for that to become clear. The Caps learned they will host the Philadelphia Flyers this week, their old rivals from the defunct Patrick Division, in a best-of-seven quarterfinal series. Philadelphia earned the No. 6 seed by beating Pittsburgh, 2-0.
“Being in the playoffs in the minors, once you get there it’s a whole new season,” said Caps defenseman Mike Green. “Down there, everyone steps up their game and it’s even faster. I’m guessing it’s going to be the same [in the NHL].”
The playoff matchup pits a pair of teams rebounding from miserable 2006-07 seasons. The Caps finished 14th in the Eastern Conference with just 70 points. That was bad. But the Flyers were a complete disaster. Injuries and poor management led to a 56-point season, worst in the entire NHL by 11 points.
So Philadelphia general manager Paul Holmgren set about revamping his team. Since February of 2007, he has traded for forwards Joffrey Lupul (20 goals, 26 assists), Scottie Upshall (13 goals, 16 assists), Vaclav Prospal (33 goals, 38 assists) and Scott Hartnell (24 goals, 19 assists), goalie Martin Biron and defensemen Braydon Coburn (27 assists) and Jason Smith. He also signed free agent forward Daniel Briere (31 goals, 41 assists).
It was a radical turnover. But one that lifted the Flyers back into the postseason.
Now, they face the NHL’s hottest team. The Caps have been in playoff mode since January and closed the season with 11 wins in their last 12 games. Is that enough to make up for a roster where 15 players have never played in an NHL postseason game?
“[The playoffs] wouldn’t be much different than [Saturday night],” Green said. “It was a must win. We had to win to control our destiny. And we came through.”
