Can someone please explain to me why the Ottawa Senators can't beat the Washington Capitals?
It makes no sense to me. None whatsoever. The Sens have been atop the Conference standings for the entire season, widely considered the cream of the crop in the East, their NHL supremacy rivalled only by the Detroit Red Wings in the West, whom they beat Saturday night in Ottawa.
So why-oh-why can't they beat the Caps, a team that has wallowed at the bottom of the standings for much of the season, and, at best, will be fighting for a playoff spot down the stretch?
Yep, I know they've got Alex Ovechkin. I know he's amazing and could probably win a game all on his own any given night. But the Sens have shut down guys like him (ie: Sidney Crosby, Henrik Zetterberg, etc.) - so he can't be the only reason. And I can't think of any other good reasons, to be honest.
They're calling it the Curse of the Caps. I would assume because nobody else can come up with any logical explanation as to why such a dominant team as my beloved Senators could not come up with a W against the Capitals this season; how Washington managed to sweep the season series 4-0. It's a little befuddling.
Last night, for a few brief moments in the second period, it almost looked like the Sens might break the curse. With Washington leading 1-0, Dean McAmmond tied it up, and not long after, Wade Redden (*sigh*) took credit for a garbage goal after banging away at the puck in the front of the net. Miracle of miracles! 2-1 Sens!!
The magic faded quickly, though, when a mere 23 seconds later, the Caps tied it back up after Uh-Oh Joe (Corvo, that is) gave the puck up in his own zone to Semin and he zippity-doo-da'd around Redden to beat Emery. Blech.
Going into the third period tied, though, actually wasn't all that bad. A shot at a point, at least? The Sens would take that, given their problems with the Caps all season long. No such luck, though. Ovechkin scored on the power play and the Caps added another to make it 4-2 Washington, allowing them to collect all 8 possible points against the Sens this year. I do consider this one of the biggest mysteries of the season thus far, but it only gives more credence to my favourite hockey catch phrase: "Anything can happen. Anyone can win." (Thank you, Pro-Line.)
All I can say is that I hope to God we don't meet them in the playoffs...
