Capitals’ First-Round Matchup Will Be Tough No Matter What

After Saturday’s win against the Montreal Canadians, Washington remains three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for third in the Metropolitan Division. With only seven games remaining in the 2021-22 regular season, the Capitals are very close to clinching a playoff berth.

Though it had been assumed the Eastern Conference postseason picture had been set for a while, seeding still needs to be determined. Washington will fall into one of three lower-seed spots. All include very tough matchups, some more primed for an upset than others.

Capitals Potential First-Round Matchups

The Capitals have had an up and down season to say the least. Back in October, they were playing as if they were a contender. Then in January, they were playing as one, or perhaps the worst team in the league. With age and health to be considered, the question of whether or not Washington has enough confidence to win four of seven games to clinch a series is unresolved.

To break it down mathematically, teams are in their 11th seven-game stretch of the season. Because there are no overtime participation points in the postseason, a standard win-loss record for each span will suffice.

Though there were times when the fan base and certain journalists were tinkering on the edge of panic, Washington has surprisingly been fairly average in seven-game spans. They’ve won five of those “playoff series” stretches and lost five. They won at least three games during each span.

The magic number is four, however. Three wins doesn’t mean anything in the playoffs when four losses are attached. How the team has fared head-to-head in the regular season against their potential first-round opponent also matters a little more. There are three teams they will possibly square off with at the start of the postseason: the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, or Florida Panthers.

Capitals vs. Rangers

If the Capitals can jump Pittsburgh for third place in the Metro, they will likely meet the Rangers. The two will face each other in the season finale on April 29, and the teams split the prior two games which have been very spread apart (Oct. 13 and Feb. 24).

In the end, though each team they may match up against is very good, Carolina may be their best chance of advancing, as crazy as that sounds. Also, through their 10 seven-game stretches this season, they’ve won at least three games during each span. That’s one game away from winning a series.