John Matthews
WMAL.com

PITTSBURGH — (WMAL) The Washington Capitals gave their fans one final taste of excitement Tuesday night, but it was just a flash reminder of what promise the team had en route to yet another crushing post-season disappointment.

The Caps trailed the Penguins 3-nothing nearly two-thirds into the game, only to erase the gap and force overtime with three goals of their own. But the game – and the season – came to an end as Pittsburgh’s Nick Bonino tapped a rebound of a shot past Braden Holtby 6:32 into overtime to give the Penguins a 4-3 game win to go along with a 4-2 series win over Washington.

For the Caps, winners of the Presidents Cup for having the NHL’s best regular season record, it amounts to a horrible remake of Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day. No matter how much offensive firepower or defensive prowess or goal-tending savvy the team can muster, the ending is always the same.

In the Alex Ovechkin era, the Capitals have made the playoffs eight times, but have yet to make the conference finals once.

Losing to the Penguins only adds salt to the Capitals’ wounds. In nine playoff series, Pittsburgh has now emerged as the winner eight times.

“We made some progress but obviously not enough,” Caps Coach Barry Trotz said. “We need to get through this round. That’s part of the deal. That will always be thrown at us until we get through that.”

Copyright 2016 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: Washington Capitals)