“We just know the ins and outs of a lot of their systems,” said the Washington Capitals’ head coach, Spencer Carbery, as his boys waited for their clash with the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the playoffs. However, as the Metropolitan Division giants locked horns at the Capital One Arena today, it seemed like Carbery’s optimism wasn’t entirely justified, and fans could hardly keep a straight face.

The Capitals thrashed the Montreal Canadiens in Round 1 of the postseason by 4-1, while the Canes ousted the New Jersey Devils by the same margin. Naturally, the clash between these two Eastern Conference heavyweights was bound to be thrilling. And yet, as the game went on, fans couldn’t believe their eyes as Washington almost squandered its early lead.

In the second period of the Washington Capitals vs the Carolina Hurricanes game today, the hosts took an early lead thanks to Aliaksei Protas scoring his first-ever career postseason goal. However, the Canes’ Logan Stankoven evened the odds in the third period after a bad turnover. The official Capitals’ X account took to the platform on May 6 to share the aching news with the caption, “Canes tie it up with 10:18 remaining in the third period.”

In the second, John Carlson intercepted the puck in the Caps’ defensive zone, put it under the stick of Brandon Duhaime, who passed it up to Protas with a clean sight of the Hurricanes’ netminder. However, the goal shouldn’t have come so late. The Washington Capitals failed to take advantage of the power play they received in the first period. Moreover, the hosts looked appealing in the final 40. In the second period, Alex Ovechkin & Co. bumped up their offensive skills, but to no avail. With the Hurricanes continuously taking shots at the goal, it was only a matter of time before the visitors got back on level terms.

Jakob Chychrun took a penalty for a high stick in the third period, and it was only eight minutes after that that Stankoven found the back of the Capitals’ net. That was indeed a blow to the guts for the Washington fans. Moreover, considering it was Protas’ first goal after returning to action after 10 games following an injury, it was all the more heartbreaking to see his teammates failing to back up his efforts on the ice.

Obviously, fans were irate, especially with how Washington let go of its lead despite having Logan Thompson guarding the net. The match ended with Carolina leading Washington 31-14 in shots on goal, and the fan couldn’t help but underscore how the Hurricanes were bound to score with so many attempts on the target. “F*****g terrible passing,” fumed one fan as to how the Capitals gave away the lead on a silver platter to the visitors. Others also had their pieces to say.

Washington Capitals fans vent their frustration

When the Capitals failed to win the President’s Cup earlier this year, fans were hopeful: Maybe the curse of the Cup wouldn’t fall on Washington. However, looking at how things went down today, the Caps’ loyalists couldn’t help but clamor at how this didn’t look like a team that wanted to win. “They look like they don’t even practice together,” one fan’s grunting comment read. “The passes tn are just way off,” affirmed another.

In the regular season, the two Eastern Conference teams met four times, with both claiming two games apiece. Referring to their intense battle this season, Alex Ovechkin said before Round 2, “I think we know their team and they know us. It’s going to be a tight series.” However, his tall words fell dramatically short. “…you can ever give up constant pressure to them,” sneered one fan, probably remembering how the Caps’ captain was so confident about their opponents. “Get it together y’all,” was all another fan could bear to write.

This year has been special for the Capitals fans. Washington captain, Alex Ovechkin, reached a milestone last month when he surpassed Wayne Gretzky’s 894 career goal record. After that, many had hoped the team would give its best to make things sweeter by winning its first Stanley Cup since 2018. But looking at how their Round 2 journey began, one would feel skeptical thoughts pace through their mind. But can the Capitals come back in Game 2 and show their worth? What do you think?