No one panic.
Everyone stop saying "Here we go again!"
Don't start having flashbacks of 'Days of Playoffs Past'.
Yet.
The Washington Capitals lost last night to the New York Islanders 4-1. In what was hyped up (around here anyway) as almost a 'gimme' for the Caps, the game quickly turned to 'poo' when the Islanders' Brock Nelson scored a weak goal that found its way past Braden Holtby.
The Caps battled back with a Marcus Johansson goal, but the Islanders took control of the game in the second and never looked back.
It's not as if the Caps weren't prepared at all for the Islanders aggressive, quick forecheck and speedy play, but Washington's mistakes with the puck cost them dearly, something that Brooks Orpik echoed:
“Exactly what we expected,… Orpik said.“We know they were really good in the neutral zone and we didn't manage the puck very well. The first goal was a good example of that.…
The Capitals looked lost at times last night and didn't seem to know what to do with the puck when the Islanders came bearing down on them. Although the Isles cast has much less playoff experience than the Caps, they certainly played as though they were already playoff veterans.
“Our compete level, our battle level wasn’t as high as it needs to be tonight, and we’re a little disappointed in that, especially since we worked so hard to get into the playoffs,… said Caps forward Troy Brouwer. “We wanted to have a better showing tonight.…
The Islanders outshot the Capitals 27-25, and, save for the second period when the Caps fired 10 shots to the Islanders 8, New York controlled almost every aspect of the game period-to-period.
Braden Holtby wasn't particularly good last night either, although he did make some key saves that should have given the Caps a boost - but it didn't.
The lack of urgency in last nights game made the Caps look as though they thought they could cruise past the Isles with ease. They were prepared for the attack they knew New York would bring, but the Capitals completely underestimated their opponent.
It also didn't help the Caps that Jaroslav Halak once again shut the door on the Caps in the playoffs. Halak made some very solid saves and was in position for almost every Capitals advance. He had great help from his defense , too, as the Islanders didn't allow Washington to gain much ground offensively especially on the power play, which Washington failed to capitalize on going 0-2.
However, it IS only Game One and there are least three more games to play before the Capitals are officially teeing it up at Congressional.
“Our execution needs to change,… Troy Brouwer said. “Our compete level and battle level was not where it needed to be tonight. We’ve got six more games and we’ve got to come back and rebound on Friday.…
Let's hope so. I'm tired of this 'poo'.
More to come...