NHL Playoffs 2012: Why the Capitals Spell Doom for a Top-Seeded Opponent

Nobody wants to be the team that has to face the Washington Capitals in the first round of the NHL playoffs this year, no matter what seed Washington ends up with.

The Capitals, by their standards, are having a down season. After years of coasting into the playoffs as the leaders of the Southeast Division, Washington had to work harder—a lot harder—for admittance this year.

The Caps didn't clinch a playoff berth until Thursday, their second-to-last game of the season, in a win over the division-leading Panthers. After years of being among the top seeds in the Eastern Conference, they had to wait until the very end of the season to earn their right to compete in this year's postseason.

Despite the leadership of Alex Ovechkin, the Capitals have been perennial disappointments in the playoffs over the last several years. They haven't won a conference championship since the 1997-98 season, and despite making the playoffs and finishing first in the division for the last four years, they've failed to make it past the second round in any of them.

Last season, Washington went 48-23-11, good for first place once again, only to find itself ousted by Tampa Bay in a four-game sweep in the semifinals.

This year is the first time since 2007-08 that the Capitals have failed to accumulate 100 points. It's the first time in a long time they've had something to really play for before the postseason begins. Perhaps that aggressive, do-or-die mentality will serve them well in this year's playoffs. It's bound to give them something to play for, something to prove.

And maybe, in the end, that mentality will help them achieve the kind of postseason success that has eluded them for so long.

There is still a chance the Capitals could snag a three-seed. If the Caps can beat the Rangers and Florida loses in the regular-season finale, Washington emerges as the division-winner and gets the higher seed. If that scenario doesn't play out, it will be seeded seventh or eighth.

And in that case, good luck to New York, Boston or whichever team gets stuck playing them.

Make no mistake: This is a very capable, battle-tested Washington team with lots of playoff experience that might be disguised by a seventh or eighth seed. The Capitals won't play like a lower-tier team, even with an unproven Braden Holtby between the pipes to fill in for the injured Tomas Vokoun.

Plus, they still have Ovechkin, who—despite a career-low 64 points this year—is always a threat.

It will still be a couple of days before the final schedule is set for the first round of the playoffs, but nobody at the top of the Eastern Conference is going to be amped to face Washington.

Even without their starting goaltender, the Caps are still dangerous—and if they do end up in second place in the division and therefore with a lower seed in the playoffs, whichever team draws them is going to be very, very unlucky.