Alex Ovechkin still sticks his tongue out for some reason. (Caps Outsider)
When even a single loss happens in the playoffs, it’s not unusual for some fans to act as though it’s indicative of the next several games. While the 3-2 loss to Pittsburgh in Game 1 won’t ever be thought of as a good thing, the Caps got a necessary reminder of who they’re up against and what adjustments they need to make.
In Game 1, just a couple of things actually went really wrong (really wrong being the puck in the net). Giving up a goal off the opening draw of the period is extremely frustrating in any game, even in my beer league. The breakdown comes quickly and there’s never any good excuse for it. Then, the Caps gave up another goal less than a minute later to the same player, Sidney Crosby, the worst thorn the Caps have faced since… other Penguins. It’s not hard to figure out what the Caps did wrong on those plays and they’re easily correctable mistakes going forward. Of course, Pittsburgh has other tricks, but this preventable sequence of events ultimately gave the Penguins the edge in Game 1. Expect the Caps to correct these mistakes and play a much tighter Game 2 on Saturday.
As for the Pens, they won’t be panicking themselves if they lose Game 2, as any lower-seeded road team hopes to at least split the first two games of the series. With that in mind, corrected mistakes, plus otherwise solid all-around play, the Caps should be able to rebound from this loss.
Now let’s watch Kuzy.
https://twitter.com/myregularface/status/857775110203334656
Warm-up photos:
