Scott Van Pelt Says He Is ‘Sick And Tired’ Of Capitals’ Playoff Routine After Game 7 Loss To Penguins

Washington Capitals fans are mourning after the team was eliminated from the NHL Playoffs for yet another year with a 2-0 home loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night, and Scott Van Pelt is just as frustrated by the defeat.

Scott Van Pelt Laments Capitals’ Game 7 Elimination Loss to Penguins

The ESPN SportsCenter host began his show by stating: “I am sick and tired, sick and freaking tired of this same routine with the Caps.”

Van Pelt then proceeded to explain how disappointing it is to see the Capitals — who don’t own a Stanley Cup title — crash out of the postseason every year, despite their many other accomplishments.

“The specific details of this season for the Washington Capitals didn’t really matter heading into their second-round series with Pittsburgh, did they?” he said. “Sure they won the Presidents Trophy this year, best team in the NHL for the balance of the grueling October-to-April marathon.

“But they won it last year, too, met Pittsburgh in the second round of those playoffs as well, and lost. The weight of the Washington Capitals’ past is a lot to drag around. So many playoff disappointments. The list of things they’ve never done as a franchise is mostly whittled down to the most glaring omission: They’ve never won a Stanley Cup.”

Van Pelt also noted how the Caps have only defeated the Penguins once in a playoff series — Washington beat Pittsburgh in seven games in 1994 — and provided another relevant and interesting statistic based on NHL Playoffs history.

“Given the history that says teams down 3-1 in a series lose more than 90 percent of the time, I don’t know how long the list was of people who believed the Capitals could make a comeback,” the host continued. “I know I wasn’t on it.”

Van Pelt finished by saying he felt foolish for having confidence this year would be “different” after the Capitals scored three third-period goals for a come-from-behind victory in Game 5 and three more third-period goals to take Game 6 and tie the Eastern Conference Semifinals 3-3.

“This year was supposed to be different. It isn’t. The Caps season has been put to bed early, and it’s the Penguins who have tucked them in,” said Van Pelt, who paused and looked slightly emotional before ending his monologue by saying “again.”

Van Pelt previously delivered a moving speech two weeks ago to discuss his take on ESPN’s firing of over 100 high-profile employees as a means to reduce overhead following a drop in cable television subscriptions.

Here he is discussing the network’s mass layoff on his segment “One Big Thing:”

Bryan Rust and Patric Hornqvist each scored a second-period goal in Pittsburgh’s win on Wednesday. Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves for his ninth NHL playoff shutout and first of the year, while Braden Holtby stopped 26 shots for Washington, which has not reached the conference final since 1998.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins will host the Ottawa Senators — who eliminated the New York Rangers in six games with a win on Tuesday — for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday at 7 pm EST.

The Anaheim Ducks also eliminated the Edmonton Oilers with their own Game 7 victory on Wednesday, a 2-1 home win. Nick Ritchie scored the game-winner to end the Ducks’ streak of five consecutive Game 7 losses. Anaheim will host the Nashville Predators on Friday at 9 pm EST for Game 1 of the Conference Finals.

NEW YORK, NY – JULY 08: Scott Van Pelt attends the 2015 CLIO Sports Awards at Cipriani 42nd Street on July 8, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for CLIO Sports Awards)