#2 The Presidents Trophy curse
The Caps will have to get past the first round if they want to win the Stanley Cup and they might get a few bounces and extra help from the hockey gods. The Panthers finished with a league best 58-18-6 with 122 points, three points ahead of the Colorado Avalanche and six points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Are the Caps a lucky or unlucky 13? Let’s assume lucky since this is an article about positive vibes. That’s right they’re 13th in the NHL with a 44-26-12 record with 100 points. They were just three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and could have very well faced the New York Rangers.
Since this is an article filled with positive vibes you don’t have to worry about me reminding you what happened when they got the President’s Trophy in their three times in franchise history. To quote Lewis from Princess and the Frog to make you laugh, “It didn’t end well.”
On a more serious note, it also didn’t end well for the last few President’s Trophy winners since the Caps last won it in 2017 either. The Nashville Predators lost in the second round. The Tampa Bay Lightning lost in the first round. The Boston Bruins lost in the second round and last season the Colorado Avalanche lost in the second round. Let’s eliminate another team from Florida in the first round!