With the Stanley Cup playoffs peeking around the corner, the Washington Capitals are sitting just fine. As the regular season curtain drops, the Caps (rocking a solid 51-21-9 record) head into their final clash against longtime rivals—the Pittsburgh Penguins—who, well, aren’t exactly strutting into the postseason spotlight this year. While Washington’s locking in that No. 1 Eastern seed, Pittsburgh is waving from the sidelines, wrapping up a rare losing season under Coach Mike Sullivan. And to spice things up? It’s the 73rd showdown between goal-king Alex Ovechkin and three-time Cup-winner Sidney Crosby. Stats? Crosby’s bagged 93 points in their matchups, and Ovi’s brought the heat with 67. Rivalry royalty, no doubt.
The Capitals, trying to shake off a bit of a mid-season wobble, are still on a mission to head into the playoffs with swagger. They bounced back with a 3-1 win over the Islanders—thanks to Dylan Strome’s fiery hat trick and Charlie Lindgren flashing the glove for 32 saves. Strome’s been poppin’ off this season, skating alongside Ovi and breaking personal records left and right. Meanwhile, veteran Nic Dowd just locked in a two-year deal, still grindin’ it out as a penalty kill warrior. And now, Capitals fans let out a big ol’ sigh of relief after sidestepping a potential first-round headache in the Stanley Cup chase.
Washington Capitals’ beat reporter Sammi Silber threw the puck into the crowd with her vibe-check post on April 16, asking, “Alright Capitals fans, vibe check? How’re we feeling about facing the Canadiens in Round 1?” And let’s just say… Caps Nation exhaled in unison. No Columbus Blue Jackets? Yeah, that’s a W before the puck even drops. The sighs were loud, the relief was real, and fans wasted zero time sharing their thoughts.
Alright Capitals fans, vibe check? How’re we feeling about facing the Canadiens in Round 1?#allcaps #gohabsgo
— Sammi Silber (@sammisilber) April 17, 2025
One user chimed in with some raw honesty: “I’d rather Canadiens than Jackets. CBJ was playing red hot and Canadiens were slowing down. I think Canadiens can give us some trouble but we can score and contain them to win.” And honestly, they weren’t wrong for feeling that way. The Blue Jackets have been out here acting like they’ve got a rocket strapped to their skates. With 6 wins in 9 games just this month and riding a spicy little 5-game heater, CBJ has been turning up the heat at just the right time.
Their next showdown? The Islanders. If they keep that energy rolling, they’re not exactly the team you wanna bump into for a cozy playoff opener. So yeah, dodging that smoke? Capitals fans are counting their blessings. But the relief didn’t just stop there—it spread like wildfire across the fanbase. While the Canadiens might still bring a little chaos, most Washington Capitals’ fans are feeling good, sipping their Gatorade and manifesting smooth sailing—at least through Round 1.
Washington Capitals’ fans express their relief!
Of course, just when some Washington Capitals’ fans were breathing easy, others were already clutching their remotes in fear of what might come next. One fan didn’t hold back at all and dropped a whole mood bomb: “Terrible. I’ve seen this movie. And I really don’t want to smash another television and cry myself to sleep.” Yeah… that’s the kind of hockey heartbreak that leaves emotional scars. While skipping the Columbus Blue Jackets was seen as dodging a flamethrower, the idea of facing the Canadiens stirred up some old ghosts.
Back in 2010, a younger version of this same showdown went down. Washington Capitals vs. Canadiens. Top dogs vs. underdogs. And guess what? The Habs flipped the whole script and walked away with a Game 7 stunner. Fast forward 15 years, and some fans are straight-up feeling déjà vu creeping in like an unwelcome overtime goal. One even said it plainly with a keyboard mic drop: “I still have PTSD from 2010.” So yeah, while some folks are cheering about not facing the hot-handed Jackets, others are low-key bracing for another plot twist.
Another fan hit the nail on the head and said what half of Washington Capitals’ Nation was thinking out loud: “I’m so glad it’s not Columbus. Montreal can still cause problems, but Columbus is terrifying right now.” And honestly? Facts. The Blue Jackets have been skating like a squad on a mission, and their last outing just proved it all over again. Jet Greaves was basically a brick wall between the pipes, turning away 29 shots like it was a casual Tuesday business. With a clean 3-0 win over the NHL Flyers, the Jackets kept their playoff dream flickering, and they’re just two points shy of snatching that last wild card spot.
Not to mention, they’ve racked up five straight wins and are playing like they’ve got jet fuel in their skates. And the vibes? Unstoppable. Fantilli literally scored his 30th of the season with a deflection off the knee—talk about fate taking the wheel. The guy even came back from his grandfather’s funeral and still showed up hugely. Greaves is on fire too, sitting at 4-0-0 with a .976 save percentage during this run. So yeah, when folks online were saying things like “Happy bc I think CBJ would have steamrolled the Caps”, they weren’t being dramatic—they were just being real.
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