Wow. Every once in a while the playoffs surprise you.
It's the Conference Finals and you're expecting a tight checking, well fought 2-1 game. For the first 19 minutes it seemed like that's what we'd get, then a late Lightning penalty allowed it to be 2-0 just before the buzzer sounded to end the first.
This whole play was weird, because it's 1-0 Washington and the Capitals take a penalty which just over 2 minutes left in the period. Then they kill it off and the Bolts tie the game on a breakaway, but it gets called back because they had a too many penalty, which the Capitals score on in about two seconds.
Then in only about five minutes in the second, the Capitals made it 4-0.
So it was basically a 1-1 game, then suddenly its 4-0 and you're like 'what just happened'? I think you coulda heard a pin drop in the Thunder Dome (or whatever they call their arena, but it should definitely be the Thunder Dome.)
I was in no way expecting that. It was a 1-0 game that turned into a blowout in the blink of an eye.
All this talk before the series began about Holtby and all he had to do was make 19 saves.
Vasileskiy got pulled, Burakovsky returned, and because they were defending a lead for two thirds of the game, the Capitals most used forward was Lars Eller and they were able to somewhat rest Ovechkin, only using him for about 17 minutes.
Of course Backstrom was out and that is bad news. Since its the playoffs, no one is saying when he'll be back and it's the vague 'day to day'. If anyone says he has an upper body injury, stop getting your information from that person immediately - it's a hand injury!
Anyways, this is a great start for Washington who are now only three games away from the Stanley Cup Final.
Washington Capitals Blogger • 
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