The Capitals are hovering over the .500 mark and remain in good position to leap to the top of the pack in the Eastern Conference as the season progresses. That said, it’s also clear that the team hasn’t played up to its capabilities so far.

It took an extra session, but the Flyers finally put away Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals after squandering a 3-1 series lead, with Joffrey Lupul scoring the dramatic overtime series-winning goal in Game Seven.

The Flyers and Capitals renew an old-school rivalry in what is sure to be an entertaining showdown. The teams met four times and split the season series; they are quite evenly-matched and it's very difficult to predict who will come out on top.

The Capitals defeated the Panthers 3-1 last Saturday to complete one of the greatest late-season comebacks in history and win the Southeast. With that win, the Caps completed a thrilling turnaround from league doormats to divisional champs.

Alexander Ovechkin and his teammates could win all three remaining games and still miss out on the playoffs thanks to their Eastern Conference competition, who have done them no favors. If the Caps don't qualify, the rest of the country would be missing out.

For the Washington Capitals, the playoffs pretty much started as of last Friday. It’s do or die time, and the sense of urgency in the locker room is palpable. They will go as far as the great Alexander Ovechkin can take them.

Washington Capitals fans starved for a taste of playoff success can thank General Manager George McPhee for doing his best to save the 2007-08 season; at the trade deadline, the Capitals acquired both Cristobal Huet and Sergei Fedorov.