SPORTS INSIDER WEEKLY – Capitals look toward next season after playoff loss; Nationals split series with Marlins

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Ceci Ferrara
May 16, 2016
Sports Writer
Sports Insider

After a disappointing second-round playoff exit last year, the Washington Capitals thought that this season would be different.  During the regular season the Caps won a league-leading 56 games, six more than the second-best Dallas Stars. They set up a team-record for wins. They felt confident that after the past few years – in which they were unable to advance past the second round, and in 2014 didn’t even qualify – things would finally come together for them; for their fans.

Unfortunately, the season ended the way it has too many times in recent years – early, with disappointing players cleaning out their lockers at Kettler Iceplex and promising the fans that next year will be different. A scenario and refrain all too familiar it makes fans question whether or not the promise can actually be kept.

“This is the most hurt I’ve been in my career,” Capital Matt Niskanen said. “You don’t know how often opportunities are going to come along where you have had this kind of team. You don’t. Things happen. Rosters change. Momentum changes. I’ve been on some teams where you’ve got a pretty good chance, and because of the people on your team, you think you always have a chance. But this sure felt like the year.”

After beating the Flyers in the first round, they faced a historically tough rival in the Pittsburgh Penguins. They won Game 1, but were unable to keep pace until Game 5, in which they staved off elimination to force Game 6. Down 3-0 in the elimination game, the Caps showed unmatched heart and rallied, scoring three unanswered goals, including two in the final period, to keep their playoff hopes alive and force overtime.

But once again, with the season on the line, the Caps fell short. Pittsburgh’s speed and talent was too much for the Caps, who gave up the series-clinching goal to Nick Bonino. Last year, they lost in seven games to a solid New York Rangers team. This year, the record-setting Caps didn’t even make it to a Game 7. Disappointment was obvious, but for many Capitals, the season was summed up in one word: failure.

“Again, it sucks when you lose in the first round, second round, third round – it doesn’t matter,” Ovechkin said. “Your goal is to win the Cup.”

Ovechkin, who turns 31 later this year and was drafted No. 1 overall by the Capitals in 2004, is aware that time is not on his side. The Capitals will have to figure out the key to post-season success sooner rather than later.

“Every year you get older and you see that your window gets smaller and smaller,” Washington defenseman Karl Alzner said. “You keep going. Guys win Cups in the last year of their career or the second-to-last year, it just happens at some point. I’m a very positive person, so I will hope and assume it’s going to happen next year.”

Nationals

The division-leading Nationals (23-15) hosted the Miami Marlins for a four-game series last weekend. Hoping to extend their division lead against the Phillies (22-8), the Nats only got halfway there, splitting the series with Miami 2-2.

After a 5-3 win Friday night, the Nats started the day early Saturday with the first game of a day/night double header. Strasburg struck out seven over six innings to pick up his sixth win of the year. He also gave up three runs on five hits, but received run support from his teammates, including the go-ahead two-run homer by Wilson Ramos, which was enough to grind out a win.

They were not as lucky in the evening matchup, which the Marlins controlled from the start. Miami scored three runs through the first three innings, and then broke the game wide open with four runs off Tanner Roark in the fifth. The Nats’ bats were quiet for most of the game, their lone run scored on a sac fly in the bottom of the fourth.

Washington’s offensive slump continued on Sunday, where they were outscored by the Marlins 5-1. Miami’s Jose Fernandez dominated against the Nats lineup, striking out 11 and allowing just one run on four hits over seven solid innings. His dominant performance gave the Nats little to work with, leading to their second consecutive loss.

“When Fernandez is healthy, he is among the league leaders in strikeouts. You know he is going to have some stakeouts. It’s just that when you get a pitch to hit, you can’t really miss it because he is not going to giving you a whole bunch to hit.”

The Nats take a fragile one-game division lead into a three-game series against the Mets (21-16). New York is 1.5 games behind Washington and the series could help either team gain footing in the NL East standings. After a day off, the series begins with a superstar pitching showdown: Noah Syndergaard will face off against Max Scherzer Tuesday night in New York.

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