LOVERRO: Caps want a gut check, it’s here Thursday night

ANALYSIS/OPINION

So, as the Washington Capitals prepare to face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the Stanley Cup playoffs, what can we conclude from their difficult six-game series win over the Toronto Maple Leafs?

Apparently, the message is that the Stanley Cup playoffs are hard.

Who knew?

Do observers really think that Capitals fans didn’t get that message last year, or the year before, or the year before that, or, I don’t know, pick a season since Washington fans were first introduced to the playoffs in 1983?

I think Capitals fans know the playoffs are hard by now.

I think they also know that it appears to be harder for some teams rather than others — like the…