"We need to forget this one," Barry Trotz after Sunday's OT loss.
There was hope in Game 3 for the Capitals as Braden Holtby, coming off an illness that kept him out of Game 2, stood tall for the Caps stopping 40 shots. However, Washington once again came up short against the Islanders, failing to score on three power play opportunities and giving New York too many chances against Holtby.
While there was a better sense of urgency in Washington's game, they still failed to win key puck battles in the offensive zone. The third period was better, firing 11 shots on Halak who easily swallowed them up. Backstrom's shot from the point was the only one to go in, and that gave the Caps hope going into OT, until John Tavares scored only 15 seconds in.
The fight just wasn't there on Sunday for the Caps and Islanders came away with a decisive victory.
"We just didn't score," Ovechkin said. "That was it. We had chances... We didn't play our game in the first two periods. … We have to forget this game and move forward."
With any luck, the Caps have a short memory, and they can find their game going into tonight.
Washington will be missing a key piece in Eric Fehr who will be out for at least two games with an upper body injury he sustained in Game 3.
With Fehr out, the Caps will dress rookie Andre Burakovsky, who has been a healthy scratch so far this post-season.
“The great thing about Andre is he’s pretty naive to what’s going on around him,… Barry Trotz said. “He’s taking it all in. Seeing the atmosphere in the buildings, I think he’ll be stoked if he gets in. He’s been ready for a while. He loves to play.… (CSN Washington)
Marcus Johansson could also miss tonights game with a lower body injury also suffered in Game 3. Johansson, according to Chuck Gormley of CSN, appeared to be "cut in the back of the leg in a collision with Islanders fourth-line forward Cal Clutterbuck late in the first period." Johansson skated for all but 10 minutes yesterday afternoon before leaving the ice.
If Johansson cannot play, then we'll probably see Michael Latta in his place.
The Caps are frustrated by their lack of offense - so are the fans - and they must figure out a way to get Ovechkin going. Johnny Boychuk has done a marvelous job keeping Ovechkin in check and has kept the Great-8 to just one goal so far. While Ovechkin has put 15 shots on net, his missed or blocked shots are overwhelming. He must be a factor in Game 4 tonight.
The Islanders fans are also a key factor in this series - at least they were in Game 3. The Caps have to find a quick way to silence the crowd and keep them out of the game. It's a sad thing to see the Nassau Colosseum in its last season and I love the passion the fans have for their team, but as a Caps fan I really don't want the Islanders to win - like at all.
Go Caps.
More to come...