“We don’t really look at it big-picture wise,” Spencer Carbery probably only wanted to catch a break when he said this before Game 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Western Conference second round. Heading back to the Capital One Arena, the Washington Capitals were down 1-3 in the best-of-seven-game series, but tonight was their chance to show their worth. That didn’t exactly work out, and the fans can barely keep their anger in check.

The Capitals stormed into the second stage of the playoffs by trouncing the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in Round 1. On top of that, Washington was also the top seed in the Metropolitan Division after the regular season. Naturally, fans were hoping that similar stuff awaited them as Carbery’s boys went on to take on the Hurricanes, who finished the season behind the Caps. But alas, that dream has crumbled, and the fans are justifiably in tatters.

The official Washington Capitals account went on X to share the sad result of the May 15 game. The visitors defeated Alex Ovechkin & Co. 3-1 to send the Caps packing from the 2025 Stanley Cup contention. A hard pill to swallow, especially since many were hoping the team would put on a fight when they were trailing so far behind in the series.

But it wasn’t to be. Against three goals by the Canes’ Jordan Staal, Seth Jarvis, and Andrei Svechnikov, Anthony Beauvillier’s lone goal couldn’t give the Washington Capitals the comeback they needed. At one point in the game, it seemed like Matt Roy gave the Caps the lead. However, Carolina challenged the call, and after a video review, the goal was nullified. A 3-1 loss at home. Never easy to digest.

To make matters worse, the team also let down their Russian captain. Back in April, Ovechkin scored his 895th career NHL goal to become the all-time highest goalscorer of the league. In the process, Ovie also smashed through Wayne Gretzky’s long-time record of 894 career goals, and a second Stanley Cup would have been more than just the icing on the cake. But that now looks like a distant dream.

For perfectly good reasons, the Washington Capitals clan is livid. “Devastating,” wailed one Caps loyalist who was expecting a much better end to the team’s 2024-25 season. When the Metropolitan Division powerhouse defeated the Canes in Game 2 to pull the series to a tie, many had hoped it was the moment that things turned around for the better. But three games later, it’s now evident that all that was wishful thinking, and this fan’s heartbreak is all of us right now.

Others shared a similar view of things.

The Washington Capitals fans struggle to come to terms with the reality

After a 5-2 defeat in Game 4, Coach Carbery was scrambling to find any reason that was making the squad look bad. Amongst other things, he mentioned that taking enough shots at the Hurricanes’ net was something that Washington was struggling with. And tonight, his analysis of the Capitals’ downfall proved to be right as Carolina’s star netminder, Frederik Andersen, had to make only 18 saves. It’s not surprising that such stats are only making things harder. “TRASH,” one Washington loyalist declared.

“We’ve been a great hockey team all year long. We’ve been a great home team all year long, so that’s really where the confidence has drummed up for (us),” Spencer told the reporter why he and the team felt confident heading home for Game 5. But all that optimism was shaken to the core when it was instead the visitors who ran away with the game and the series. “I’ve seen a lot of disappointing playoff performances as a Caps fan but this takes the cake,” said another fan with a long face.

When the New Jersey Devils succumbed to the Canes in Round 1, many thought it was the epitome of poor play. However, some seem to think that the Washington Capitals have taken things a step further. “ I should be embarrassed if I was a Caps fan, because my team was injured to hell, and they played the Hurricanes a 1000 times better than you did!” sneered one fan from another camp at the Caps fans.

When Ovechkin set the new NHL record a month ago, it was elation at its peak. On top of that, the Capitals were the first team to qualify for this year’s playoffs (on March 20). All these were seen by the fans as definite signs that the team would go on to make something out of the season after all. Tough luck. “After such an amazing season with Ovi’s record to come out and play this series like this is just the saddest I’ve been,” admitted another Washington fan with grumbling undertones.

Are you also among the heartbroken after Carbery’s boys make their exit from the run for the Stanley Cup? Tell us your thoughts and emotions in a comment below!