Your post-game analysis that barely scrapes the surface:

The riveting, though tragically-ending, frst round playoff series between the Washington Capitals and Philly reinvigorated the old I-95, Patrick Division rivalry, sent Caps country back in time to an era when fans at the Capital Centre shook white pom-poms and watched that antiquated decibel meter, in the corner of the ol’ Pringles chip, tick up well into triple digits.

And today, I felt myself transported via time machine to recall a more depressing distinction of an earlier chapter in Caps history. One where our red, white, and blue-clad heroes dominated territorially and on the shot chart, circling around the net with relentless ferocity, but did not dent the twine. And that failure invariably led to a predictable defeat.

Today, the offensive brilliance displayed, the playmaking, the trajectory of shots on net, was markedly superior in skill to that which was employed a decade and a half ago, for sure. So was, of course, the goaltending, to match it every time.

During the first intermission, Locker said on the Comcast broadcast what I swear I’ve heard him similarly say dozens of times during that earlier era:  that today’s first period was, perhaps, the best period of Caps hockey this season (not sure I agree), but the team “just had nothing to show for it.” Twenty-five SOG in the first, tying a club record for most shots in a period. Even Milan Jurcina was bombing shots from the point. And Antero Niittymaki stopped all of them.

I knew then that the game was over.

What else can you say about a group of athletes that, to a man, so completely dominated the game in all facets (including with the fists, watching Donald Brashear, in his first bout, tenderize the face of Riley Cote), yet not only fail to score, but fall behind? Niitty was sand-blasted with pucks, Alex Ovechkin delivered both hits and scintillating shots, and drew early calls to give his team key power plays, buoyed by the boos from the Philedelphia faithful.

But in a period with so many failed clearing attempts and wall battles lost on the part of the Flyers, it took but one mistake, Joffrey Lupul (latest and greatest Cap killer) schooling Alexandre Giroux one-on-one, to set the Capitals back, for good.

The power play seemed on track, but a few critical missteps stood out to me. Michael Nylander lost a couple of key offensive zone draws (he finished up 2 for 6, and has won less than 46% of faceoffs on the road this season), and Mike Green was unable to convert on that now signature back door set-up. Three PPs gone by the boards eviscerated all incentive for the Flyers to concern themselves with taking any further obstruction calls necessary to slow up the Caps’ skilled forwards.

Going into this afternoon, the Caps have lost 154 man games to injury. So, of course, another game, another injury, to Tom Poti, to me our best, most consistent defenseman this season, when he’s able to go. At least Mike Green looked OK, logging over 11 minutes in the first (on account of all of those power plays), and finishing up the game with 29:24 TOI. We’ll set aside his -4 rating for the afternoon; just seeing key guys stay in the game, and not in the trainers’ room, is a major positive sign these days.

Brent Johnson, obviously, needed to make a couple of key saves (or just a couple of saves period) through the first half of the game, and he didn’t. Cold goalie, not a lot of shots faced — I get all that. The game could have unfolded differently had the first period remained scoreless for both sides.

Brooks Laich committed a rare 5-on-5 foul in the second, when the game was still, arguably, in doubt, holding Cote. Ugly.

On a positive note, I thought the foursome of 39-15 up top and 27-23 in front of Johnny made for a damn fine PK squad today, at least when it still counted. How fantastic it is to have two guys on the unit who win 55% or more draws on the road.

Ultimately, we saw quite vividly how the team responded to the multitude of first period frustrations. Not well. How will it now respond to such a horrendous embarrassment, when it sets foot, up here, in New York for Tuesday night’s tilt at the Garden?

Finally, apparently some Flyers fans don’t know how to count, tossing out hats to celebrate Scott Hartnell’s second goal. Or maybe they were just clairvoyant.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have long been the team I’ve most despised. Perhaps that tide is turning, just a bit, eastward towards Philly. (Well, at least until January 14th.)