The Washington Capitals are on the brink of their first conference championship round berth since 1998, with a 3-2 series lead Andre Iguodala Jersey over the Pittsburgh Penguins. While Monday's Game 6 matchup in Pittsburgh has the potential to make franchise history, it also has the chance to break a citywide curse that has affected teams for just as long. It would appear that the Caps are in prime position to advance. But D.C. sports fans have been down this road before. Since the Caps' 1998 run, the District'sfour major pro sports teamshave been one round away from the conference finals 15 times and fallen short every time. Even worse is that they're0-13 in gameswith a chance to clinch a spot in the conference finals. The ran the numbers last year and found that in the then-19-year span,there have been 74champions crowned,74 runners-upand 148 losing semifinalists in MLB, the NFL, the NBA and the NHL. Not a single one of those teams was from D.C. Those numbers in the now-20-year span are 78, 78 and 156. Among the big four teams, the Caps lead the city in series-clinching game lo ses with six, then it's the Nationals (four), the Redskins (two) and the Wizards (one). The Wizardshad the most recent opportunity in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference second-round matchup against the Boston Celtics in 2017. That team last reached the Eastern Conference finals in 1978. Penguins vs. Capitals: Naturally, the Capitals' chance to break the streak is an uphill battle against the Penguins who they have not beaten since 1994. Even if Washington does somehow overcome Pittsburgh, there's no guarantee the season would end in hardware, as the team would have to face Tampa Bay in the next round. The Lightning are listed at 5/8 odds to win the Eastern Conference and5/2 odds to win the 2018 Stanley Cup as of Monday, per . But maybe that'll be enough for some Washington sports fans. Maybe finally achieving these postseason heights will bring joy to people who have experienced nothing but misery and heartbreak over two decades. The accomplishment should be worth something, but the hope required to get behind it might not be worth the effort. Kevon Looney Jersey