Of all the first-round matchups, no two teams were farther apart in the standings than the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers.

Twenty-four points separated the wild-card Flyers and the Metropolitan Division champion Capitals, but everyone starts from scratch in the postseason, and this series could be closer than many have anticipated.

Here are three reasons why:

Momentum

As one of the hottest teams in the league from February onward, Philadelphia enters the first round on a high note, having earned the final spot in an intense three-team race that came down to the wire.

Washington, meanwhile, comes into the playoffs in what's considered a slump compared to the success of its season, having gone 4-3-3 in its final 10 games. Goaltender Braden Holtby looked somewhat pedestrian down the stretch, and the Caps suffered.

Embracing their underdog status, the Flyers don't have nearly as much pressure on them as the Capitals do. Washington captured the Presidents' Trophy and has a "Finals or bust" mentality.

Not to mention the additional motivation of winning for late Flyers owner Ed Snider, which has put extra pep in Philadelphia's already confident step.

History

The Flyers are no strangers to accomplishing the unthinkable in the playoffs; just ask the 2010 Bruins. The raucous Wells Fargo Center presents a tough road game for any opponent, and the Philly crowd loves getting under visitors' skin, which could become a huge problem if the Flyers come out of Washington with a split.

Meanwhile, Washington hasn't made it out of the second round since 1998, and is one early elimination from chaos. The Capitals' playoff futility during the Alex Ovechkin era has been brought up year after year, and disappointing loss after disappointing loss has failed to change the narrative.

Presidents' Trophy curse

The Presidents' Trophy is the ultimate regular-season prize, but nobody cares about it.

Sure, it's a nice piece for the mantel, but rarely has the regular-season points leader had the same success in the playoffs.

The Capitals know this well. As an 121-point team in the 2009-10 season, Washington's playoff presence was brief, falling in seven games to the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens.

Washington surely holds the advantage in firepower throughout the roster, but the playoffs are a different beast - one the Capitals have yet to figure out.

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