Watching Carolina and Vegas in the finals, I can’t help but think back to what happened eight years ago when the Capitals finally broke through and won their first Stanley Cup. The Washington Capitals playoff history is mostly a tragedy, with the exception of 2018. But before that beautiful shining moment, the Capitals lost to the eventual Stanely Cup champion eight times in their history. They lost twice in the first round, five times in the second, and once in the finals. Let’s take a look.
1983 vs. the New York Islanders
After years of being awful, the 1982-83 Washington Capitals made the playoffs for the very first time in their history. They unfortunately had to play the 3-time Stanley Cup Champion New York Islanders in the first round. The Islanders won the series 3-1 on their way to their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup. This marked the first time the Capitals would love to the eventual Stanley Cup champion.
