Capitals Corner: Caps Clinch Presidents' Trophy
The Capitals clinched the Presidents’ Trophy — awarded to the team with the most points during the NHL’s regular season — for only the second time in franchise history on Monday with a 4-1 win over Columbus. It’s the earliest a team has clinched home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs in 14 years.
Don’t expect much of a celebration; Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom sounded like someone who would much rather win a trip to the dentist than the Presidents’ Trophy when asked about the honor at Monday’s morning skate.
“It’s good to have home-ice advantage through the playoffs, but at the same time, it doesn’t even mean anything because we lost last time in the first round when we won the Presidents’ Trophy,” Backstrom said. “For me, it’s just a matter of getting to the playoffs. The teams, one through eight, can beat anyone.”
