Alex Ovechkin heads to the sin bin here, but it was his team’s effort in the first half of last night’s game that really deserved a penalty. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Hurricanes 3, Capitals 2 (SO): See, now, this is what we’re afraid of. The Caps, coming off an intense — some might call it playoff-like — win over the Penguins on Wednesday, sauntered into Raleigh and came out flatter than a playing card, allowing two goals in the first period and waiting until midway through the second period to really get into gear. It’s a testament to the talent level and depth of the team that Washington managed to get back and tie the game by the end of regulation, but this game was pretty much every Caps fans worst nightmare come playoff time in the flesh. Think about it: the Caps will wrap up the top seed in the Eastern Conference by the weekend. The Presidents’ Trophy is only slightly further away. It’s quite possible that going into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Caps will have a two and a half week period in which they will play nary a really important game. And — as any fan of the league can tell you — the eight-seed in the NHL is a dangerous, dangerous thing. Factor in the fact that everyone and their grandma will be hoping for a conference final matching up Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, and the fear that the Caps could overlook a plucky team becomes a lot more realistic.

But enough doom and gloom: John Carlson finally scored his first NHL goal, so last night’s game wasn’t a total wash. And the team did set a franchise record for points in a season with the overtime point. Sure, as Bruce Boudreau said, “no one is going to celebrate a loss.” But maybe it’ll be a good reminder for the players that absolutely nothing from here on out will be a coast, regardless of how many points they’ve earned to date.