The Washington Capitals have added yet another heartbreaker to their already long list of Stanley Cup Playoffs heartbreaks after getting ousted from title contention by the Florida Panthers Friday night in a 4-3 overtime loss. Alex Ovechkin and the Caps had a 2-1 series lead after three games of the matchup but lost three games in a row.

Via Samantha Pell of the Washington Post:

Alex Ovechkin, in talking about the Caps core and how the team hasn’t won a playoff series since it won the Cup in 2018:

“A kinda fucked up situation.”

In each of the final three games of the series, the Capitals were able to light the lamp first, but the Panthers were just too resilient and talented offensively for Washington. After all, the Panthers are the winners of the 2021-22 Presidents' Trophy after recording a league-best 122 points back in the regular season.

Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, the Capitals have failed to get further beyond the first round. It would have been a much more painful reminder about Washington's shortcomings in the playoffs if it weren't for their success four years ago. Nevertheless, the Caps remain a hungry team, albeit one with perhaps a not-so-big window for a title run given the age of their core. Ovechkin is 35; Nicklas Backstrom is 34; and TJ Oshie is 35.