Boucher & Bolts Take Commanding Series Lead
I prefaced, prior to the start of this series, that this would very much play out like the story of the Spider and the Fly...as it turns out, I wasn't wrong after all. I simply misjudged who the Spider was.
Through two games of play, Guy Boucher and this Tampa Bay Lightning have subdued the apparently prepared and dynamic Washington Capitals.
Whether it has been the patience of the Lightning players as a whole or the systematic frustration that is the 1-3-1 system Tampa plays, Boucher has succeeded in luring the Capitals into his web.
Through two games, both road victories for the underdog Bolts, the Capitals have had more power plays, shots on goal, hits and takeaways than their counterparts, yet it has been the Lightning who have pulled the trigger at the right time.
Bruce Boudreau has yet to see any results out of his power play as the Caps have struggled to push anything past Dwayne Roloson through 10 opportunities and 20:14 minutes on the man advantage.
Needless to say, it's not as if the Capitals haven't tried to deflate the Lightning and their seemingly ageless netminder. Washington has thrown 65 shots at Roloson in two games, having scored only four times. Adding to the 65 shots on goal, the Caps had 47 attempts blocked by Tampa while 25 other shots have seen their way wide of the goal.
In total, through 126:19 of action in this series, the Caps have registered 137 shot attempts on Tampa's goaltender, hitting the net only 47% of the time, even worse; that's just a success rate of 2.9% on the 137 attempts. Of course, you have to hit the net to score a goal, yet even then, with just four goals on 65 shots(a meagerly 6.1%), it's becoming clearer and clearer that this is the Dwayne Roloson show.
At this point, I will confess that I am baffled by the amount of momentum the Lightning have stolen from the Capitals through the opening two games, yet I did state that momentum is the one thing in the post-season you can never predict.
While the Caps seemed to hold every edge heading into the series, those were but 'paper predictions.'
While it's hard to fault Washington's efforts on the offensive side of the puck, per the numbers, the truth is that all that offense hasn't amounted to a hill of beans for Washington due to the team's inability to pull the trigger when it counts most.
True, Ovechkin's equalizer with but 68 seconds to play in regulation was definitely timely, but there have been lapses in concentration on the Capitals part, and those lapses are precisely why the Caps head down to Tampa trailing 2-0 in this series.
Again, I stated that Washington's goal and path to success in this series was to tire out Tampa's 41 year old netminder.
It was certainly a sound and convincing logic, especially considering the effort Roloson put in to get the Bolts past the Pens in Round One. But, while many expected the vet to burn out sooner than later, Roloson clearly still had faith in his abilities.
Having tried to find a way through Roloson in the first two games, it would seem that Washington will need to go back to the drawing board.
Not only have the ceded home ice advantage to their division rivals, but they've handed them the opportunity to once again dispatch a Capitals team that many were starting to believe had what it took to win a championship.
It's rather unreal how fast this Caps team can make a believer out of many in the playoffs, and equally as stunning at how quickly they can snatch that hope right back.
Credit where credit is due, Tampa's veteran leaders have been everything the team has needed them to be.
Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St.Louis have led the charge in Washington and the Capitals top guns have sputtered in response.
In the end, there is a matter of discipline, or a lack thereof, for the Caps in terms of their responsibility to get the job done when they have the opportunity.
In both games, the Capitals have spotted the Lightning the lead. Putting themselves behind the eight ball like that is nothing but a recipe for disaster in the post-season and, although they have battled back in both games, their killer instinct to finish the job never came to fruition.
It's an age-old story in DC; the one where the Capitals build themselves up for an extended stretch, playing decisive and commanding hockey, right up until the point where they meet a rival as interested as they are in winning.
With Tampa holding court, Washington will need a complete about-face in Florida.
They are on the ropes and have not only conveniently passed off home ice advantage but have also made the Lightning the favorite in this best-of-seven series.
Although hope is dwindling, it's worth noting the Caps handed the Rangers a 2-0 series lead in 2009 before coming back to beat them, but this is a completely different series.
The veteran acquisitions must now play a key role in getting the superstars back on track.
The Lightning certainly took their chances in allowing the Capitals all the opportunity in the world to take the series lead, yet after suffering through their waves of offense, Tampa has been the team with the killer instinct.
They thought they were the Spider but have quickly figured out they are the Fly.
Can these Caps untangle themselves or will the Lightning finish the job?
Back in a bit with player thoughts...
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Go Caps!!!!!
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