ReCap 3/24 vs. NY Rangers

Unbelievable as it may seem, it appears that we Caps fans may have finally seen the day in this season where we can all stop asking "Why can't they play like that more often?"

Unfortunately, somewhere along the way when you're working out of a struggle you lose something.  That something may have been a part of you that needed to be shed, and yet the same time was a part of you.  This might be the key to why the Caps have been so inconsistent over the years.  They might be back, but they clearly are not the same team, the juggernaut that a lot of the current fans grew up with and came to love. Maybe winning does cure a lot of things, but it can mask other things that are problems.

Would last night's edition of the Caps beaten the Rangers in the playoffs last year?  Hard to say.  I ask this because the Rangers were considered by many (including yours truly) to be a Cup contender.  And the Caps have been far from the world beaters they made themselves out to be in years past.

The scoresheet doesn't tell the whole story.  But it does say one thing loud and clear--the best players still have to be the best players night after night.  Which means that they can't afford to have Ovechkin go into an inexplicable funk.  Or Backstrom struggle with inconsistencies.  Or Green battle injuries.  Many things can go wrong with most teams and they somehow get through it, but this team often tries to work through their problems without too many positive results.

Nick Baclstrom, Alex Ovechkin, and Braden Holtby were the heroes last night.  But they can't be the heroes every night.  The question I'm posing is, will Caps fans be okay with that?  Because as this team finally comes together, they will need to rely on each other more.  Or they won't amount to much in the future, let alone this season.