If a superstition works, it works. And if it doesn’t, well, ditch it and start a new one.
After losing both away games in Raleigh, the Washington Capitals have abandoned their hot lap superstition that was started last postseason.
Video
In a surprise twist – no hot lap to start off morning skate ahead of game 6.
Or we can say the whole team took the hot lap. @nbcwashington @NBC4Sports pic.twitter.com/1Ri23stwA6
— Sherree Burruss (@SherreeBurruss) April 22, 2019
At Monday’s morning skate, NBC4 Washington’s Sherree Burruss posted a video of the Capitals ditching the hot lap and instead doing their regular lap around the rink before practice.
The hot lap was originally started by Jay Beagle last season. The superstition involves one player doing a high-speed lap around the rink at the beginning of morning skate for away games, only switching up the player after a loss. The Capitals had a 10-3 record in away games during that run and Lars Eller was notably the player that skated the hot lap the morning before he scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal in Las Vegas.
This season, whatever mojo the superstition had has seemingly dried up. Alex Ovechkin started off the postseason as the player doing the hot lap, but that duty switched to Andre Burakovsky after the Caps lost Game Three.
The Capitals have the opportunity to finish the series with a win in Game Six against the Hurricanes on Monday.
Update: The hot lap may come back to life someday or reincarnate into something else superstitious-y at a later date and time.
It sounds like Capitals hot lap might not be completely dead or they might come up with something else to replace it at some point.
But they didn't do one today.
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) April 22, 2019
Headline photo: @SherreeBurruss
