The 2007-08 Washington Capitals were the first Caps team in the Alex Ovechkin era to make the playoffs. After hiring head coach Bruce Boudreau earlier in the year, the Capitals went on an absolute tear at the end of the regular season (11-1 in their last 12 games), clinching the Southeast Division on the final day of their schedule.<\/p>\n
Ovechkin and Boudreau recently relived their first playoff series together during a sit-down interview on Boudreau and Jeff Marek\u2019s Hockey Lifers Podcast<\/a>, discussing its controversial end and how the head coach uniquely responded to some officiating he believed was unjust.<\/p>\n In the first round of the 2008 postseason, the Capitals were matched up with a veteran Philadelphia Flyers team and managed to take them to the brink of elimination. After rallying from a 3-1 hole in the series, the Capitals eventually fell in overtime of Game 7 via a controversial power-play goal from Joffrey Lupul.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody thought we gonna make the playoffs and then, if you remember, we play against Philly and that was a bad call from ref in Game 7 in OT,\u201d Ovechkin said.<\/p>\n The \u201cbad call\u201d that Ovechkin refers to was a two-minute minor penalty for tripping assessed to defenseman Tom Poti. The call, made by now-retired referee Paul Devorski, came just 4:15 into overtime. Lupul would put away a rebound past Capitals goaltender Cristobal Huet 1:51 later and eliminate the young Caps team.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cDid I ever tell you what I did?\u201d Boudreau said. \u201cBecause it was Paul Devorski, who was the referee, I went to his house and I teepeed his house because he lived next door to me. About 20 rolls of toilet paper, throwing it over all the trees, his car, everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Ovechkin laughed, clearly finding out about the story for the first time. \u201cOh, really?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n