The Capitals Season

The 2007-2008 Capitals season was one that saw the team working hard to establish their dominance in the southeastern division. Early on, the team bolstered its lineup, signing Nicklas Backstrom as well as defensive players Tom Poti, Victor Kozlov, and Michael Nylander. Despite this impressive lineup, however, the team struggled early on. After a dismal 6-14-1 start - the worst since 1981 - coach Glen Hanlon was fired on November 22nd. He was replaced by Bruce Boudreau, who began to help the team turn things around. The team began to fight their way back through the standings, but at the midpoint of the season were still ranked 14th. It wasn't looking good for Capitals fans, but the team rallied in the second half, putting in some amazing effort to salvage the season. Of note was Alexander Ovetchkin, who became the first player in twelve years to score sixty goals in a season; by the time the season was over, his total was 65 goals, breaking Luc Robitaille's single-season record. Amazingly, by the time the season was winding down, the Capitals had fought from 14th place to the top of their division, and clinched it on April 5th with a victory against the Florida Panthers. This divisional title was the third in the Southeast Division for the team, and the fourth overall. Unfortunately, the Capitals didn't fare so well in the playoffs, losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in seven games to take third place in the Eastern Conference. It was still an impressive showing, however, for a team that looked to be a casualty at the beginning of the season.