1. As we’ve touched on repeatedly, the Caps played an 82-game regular-season and came out as the League’s 13th-best first period team by score-adjusted five-on-five Corsi-For percentage (50.3), 18th-best by five-on-five goal differential (-5) and 25th-best by five-on-five penalty differential (-10). If you’d expected that to change when the playoffs started, apparently you’d have been wrong – it’s been an issue through four games (they’ve been outshot 53-30 and have taken nine penalties in the four opening stanzas) and was again last night:
The Caps had yet another slow start. They should probably stop doing that. https://t.co/ww9rOBQo9t
— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) April 21, 2016
Flyers only played half the game but they got away with it. Other charts at https://t.co/jccvCul8AM pic.twitter.com/hxvi8BpZd2
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) April 21, 2016
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2. The Caps’ inability to put any real early pressure on Michal Neuvirth allowed the Czech netminder to get into a game-stealing groove, and that’s exactly what he did:
Trotz said the Capitals “sort of eased ourselves into that game.” Didn’t think they made Neuvirth really work until third period.
— Zac Boyer (@ZacBoyer) April 21, 2016
Neuvirth said he felt rusty early but got comfortable by the 2d period.
— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) April 21, 2016
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3. In what was the scariest moment in a Caps game (or just about any game) in quite some time, Scott Laughton took an ugly spill into the end boards during the first period and had to be stretchered off the ice:
terrifying scene with Laughton in Philly pic.twitter.com/M4PFMF4Frc
— Stephanie (@myregularface) April 20, 2016
What John Carlson said about the hit that sent Scott Laughton into the boards: pic.twitter.com/5R00f7PaQq
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) April 21, 2016
Injury Update: Forward Scott Laughton will be staying overnight at Jefferson Hospital for precautionary reasons. All tests are negative.
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 21, 2016
Great news, of course, and we hope he makes a full and speedy recovery… and has better luck with his health when he faces Washington in the future:
My God, what a hit by Matt Niskanen on Scott Laughton https://t.co/ck6Nd5klnO
— Travis Hughes (@TravisSBN) January 15, 2015
Niskanen gave Laughton a concussion in their previous meeting.
— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) February 8, 2015