Win or lose, the Capitals refuse to do things the easy way

The Washington Capitals are back in their series against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but had to go through their third straight overtime game to get there.

The dead horse that is the Washington Capitals’ playoff struggles has been beaten so hard, it came back to life only to get killed again. And while expectations should be lower this year since they didn’t win the Presidents’ Trophy, they were at least supposed to get past the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round.

After all, the Blue Jackets have never won a series, so to get their first against Washington would cement the Caps’ legacy as perennial playoff chokers. And yet, it wouldn’t even qualify as their biggest collapse. We’re talking about a team that won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2009-10 by 18 points only to lose in the first round to a Montreal Canadiens team that got in on the final day.

But after dropping their first two games at home, the Capitals went into the lions’ den in Columbus and had only one thing to say to death: not today. Lars Eller’s overtime winner gave Capitals fans hope that they can come back and win this series, but even if they do, they have already taken a lot of mileage out of themselves.

For one, every game in this series has gone to overtime, with this one being resolved in double OT. And despite this win, the Capitals have to either win three straight or three of the next four games. This first-round series is also playing out like last year’s against the Toronto Maple Leafs, when every game was resolved by one goal and five out of six went to overtime.

Next: Each NHL Team's Biggest 'What if' Moment

Over the past two years, the Capitals have gone to overtime eight times in the first round. Most teams would be lucky to do that in a single playoff run. The Capitals’ outright refusal to do things the easy way, win or lose, means that they will be a shell of themselves if they somehow survive the first round and head into an expected three-match with the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s hard enough to beat that team, but doing so after a taxing first-round matchup you were expected to breeze through makes the task even more daunting.

For more from the NHL playoffs, make sure to follow FanSided and stay tuned to our NHL hub for all the latest news and results.