Grant Paulsen began Game 2's edition of "Caps Overtime" on NBC Sports Washington as he always does, by listing words which are banned from that broadcast, a way of reckoning with the Capitals' tortured playoff existence by not reckoning with it.
After yet another heartbreaking playoff loss Sunday evening, this one of the 5-4 overtime variety, to go down 0-2 in their opening-round series against Columbus, at home, the phrase "Same Old Caps" was to be stricken from the consciousness of this Caps Overtime broadcast.
The Capitals, after doing nearly everything different -- including benching former Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby for Philipp Grubauer -- have found themselves in the exact same position, two losses away from playoff elimination. And if they are to avoid the Same Old Fate, they'll have to do it the hard way, by first stealing a game on the road in Columbus.
RUSSELL: Caps Lack Killer Instinct In Game 2 Loss
Monday morning, John-Paul Flaim of The Sports Junkies opened the microphone with a familiar utterance: "Deja vu? We haven't done this show before. Same Old Caps?"
What else can someone call it?
"Done it many, many times," John Auville replied.
Cakes: It goes to overtime, the Caps completely dominate the overtime period, and Columbus basically gets one opportunity and (Matt) Calvert slaps in a rebound with one hand and it gets past Holtby. I just don't get it. I don't understand it.
EB: Well, it's just that some things just aren't meant to be.
Cakes: Yeah. I guess so. Caps fans aren't meant to enjoy the playoffs.
JP: It's a continuation, though, because so many people are tweeting the old 'D.C. Sports Curse.'
EB: It's no curse. Just on a bad run.
JP: And I don't believe in curses, but man. It's supposed to be a good time when three of your teams are making the playoffs, because the Nationals make the playoffs, and the Caps make the playoffs and the Wizards make the playoffs. It's supposed to be a good time, but it's not good because they lose in the first round. All of them.
Cakes: I don't believe in jinxes, I don't believe in curses, but I do believe in D.C. playoffs-slash-sports sadness. I mean, how can you not? We're just smack dab in the middle of it.
In this world of Caps playoff exits, what's up is down and down is up. When Washington's the favorite, it's bound for failure. A two-goal lead is destined to be relinquished.
"Do you know that 11 of the last 21 Caps playoff games have gone to OT?" said Jason Bishop, as the Titanic theme song began whistling in the background. "That's unbelievable."
JP: We're playing Titanic already?
Cakes: I mean, I think it's apropos.
EB: Oh, it's over. It's terminal.
Bish: They've got a 13-percent chance of winning the series.
JP: They're 2-5 all-time when dropping the first two games in the series.
Cakes: And in the Ovechkin era, they play a butt-load of one-goal playoff games. They play so many squeaker playoff games and the first two in this series, no different, both OT losses.
No use in hiding from what's inescapable. Until the Capitals finally break through, there's no other way to spin it but Same Old Caps.
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