• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Washington Capitals

3 Biggest Surprises Among Eastern Conference Playoff Teams

By Mike Necciai April 10th, 2016

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

The 2015-16 season is essentially over and the Eastern Conference playoffs, outside of the Islanders potentially moving into third place in the Metro, are set in stone.

The NHL has two remaining regular season games this evening, both of which being make-up games that should have taken place earlier in the year. If the New York Islanders win, they’ll leap-frog the Rangers and face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round. If they lose, they’ll head to Florida and face the Panthers. The matchup between the Washington Capitals and Anaheim Ducks is meaningless in the East.

So, how did we get here?

The last few months have been anything but calm in the Eastern Conference. We’ve watched teams go on historical runs while others faltered and fell apart down the stretch. The final two months of the season became a war of attrition and the playoff picture we see right now is far different from what we expected in January.

It’s a testament to just how much of a long, windy road an 82-game season can be.

Among all of the hustle and bustle, there are a few things that stand out more than most. Below, I’ll visit my three biggest surprises among those that have made the cut and earned their place in the tournament.

The Keystone State Surge

Sidney Crosby Claude Giroux fighting

(Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE)

The Penguins and Flyers entered 2015-16 on completely different ends of the spectrum when it comes to expectations.

Pittsburgh, after a busy offseason that saw general manager Jim Rutherford re-tool the bottom-six and add sniper Phil Kessel, was widely viewed as an explosive offensive team that could easily contend for the Stanley Cup.

The Flyers, after finishing 2014-15 with just 84 points and missing the playoffs by a wide margin, made very few changes in the offseason and seemed poised for another disappointing year. They were strapped with bad contracts and had little wiggle room, leaving them in a tough spot when it comes to making impactful roster moves in the cap era.

To the surprise of many, the Penguins were just as disappointing and both teams faced what looked like an insurmountable uphill battle after the first two months of the season. The high-flying Penguins offense that everyone expected was 29th in the league in scoring and the Flyers were staring at a record of 9-10-5 heading into December.

However, both teams’ respective GM’s went to work, finding takers for the likes of Rob Scuderi and Vincent Lecavalier. Rutherford added speed with Trevor Daley and Carl Hagelin while the Flyers received a shot in the arm from rookie Shayne Gostisbehere. The rest is history.

Philadelphia went 25-13-7 once the calendar turned 2016 and Pittsburgh went 30-11-4, including a 14-2 stretch to finish the season.

Next stop? The Flyers will face Washington in round one of the postseason and Pittsburgh will battle either the New York Islanders or New York Rangers.

Detroit Extends Franchise Playoff Streak

(Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

(Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

George Bush Senior was the President of the United States the last time Detroit missed the playoffs, which took place in the 1989-90 season. While Boston still holds the record for most consecutive years in the postseason, 25 years is extremely impressive.

However, their ability to sneak into the postseason this year is quite surprising.

The Red Wings finished the season ranked 22nd in scoring. They went 9-9 in their last 18 games, with losses in important match-ups against those they were battling for postseason spots. When it came down to the final game of the season yesterday, Detroit would have clinched with a win but forfeited three goals to the New York Rangers and lost by a score of 3-2. It ended up being irrelevant when the Bruins lost to the Senators but still, this is hardly the way you want to prepare for the playoffs.

Also interesting is that they made the postseason with a negative goal differential, with Philadelphia being the only other team to do so this season. Prior to this year, only one team has made the playoffs with a negative goal differential since the league changed their postseason format in 2012.

It was the 2013-14 Red Wings.

The Capitals’ Historic Season

M. Richter/Capitals Outsider

M. Richter/Capitals Outsider

Lets face it, everyone knew the Capitals would be a force to be reckoned with this season. However, no one expected this.

Washington finished the year with a whopping 120 points thanks to their 56-17-8 record. That total hasn’t been touched since 2009-10, when the Capitals finished with 121 points. But, you can argue that their point total isn’t the most impressive part of their season.

Alex Ovechkin tallied his seventh 50-goal season, passing the likes of Mario Lemieux, Guy Lafleur and Marcel Dionne who all have six. In a season that saw average goals-per-game sink to levels that rival the dead-puck era of the early 2000’s, it’s unthinkable that someone could still net 50.

If that wasn’t enough, goaltender Braden Holtby tied Martin Brodeur’s record for wins in a season with 48. The Capitals will face the Anaheim Ducks tonight to close out the season, giving Holtby one last chance to claim that record for himself.

The Capitals finished second in goals-for with 252. But, they boast a league’s best plus-61 goal differential. They’ve struggled a bit down the stretch but have proved all season that they’re arguably the most well-rounded team in the league. Can they continue that success in the postseason and finally make a run?

What they accomplished in the regular season is truly something special. Now, it’s up to them to shed the reputation of regular season juggernaut, postseason disappointment.

  • Tags
  • Alex Ovechkin
  • Braden Holtby
  • Shayne Gostisbehere
  • Sidney Crosby
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 17th 4:05 PM
Toronto Maple Leafs

Joe Thornton’s First Maple Leafs’ Goal: Just a Little Trickery Out There

Jan 17th 3:55 PM
St Louis Blues

Blues’ Winter 2021 Prospect Pyramid

Jan 17th 3:40 PM
Column

Senators News & Rumours: White, Batherson, Stützle & More

Jan 17th 3:30 PM
Boston Bruins

First-Year Islanders Shocked Big, Bad Bruins 48 Years Ago

Jan 17th 2:55 PM
Detroit Red Wings

NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Oilers, Canadiens, Flyers, Red Wings, More

Jan 17th 2:45 PM
Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins Need to Make a Jack Roslovic Trade Happen

Jan 17th 2:35 PM
Column

Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Matthews, Thornton, Marner & Robertson

Jan 17th 2:25 PM
New York Islanders

Islanders Host Special Drive-Through Merchandise Giveaway at UBS Arena

Jan 17th 1:42 PM
Archives

2013 NHL Entry Draft: Where Are They Now?

Jan 17th 1:37 PM
Archives

Most Games Played By A Goalie in One NHL Season

Editor’s Picks
World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information