[AP Recap – Game Summary – Event Summary – WashingtonCaps.com Postgame]
My guess is that the first fifteen seconds of Our American Cousin was pretty sweet, too.
The Caps slept through the first two-and-a-half periods, only to wake up down two goals midway through the third. On some nights, they’ve put forth similar efforts and come out unscathed, but not last night, which may be for the best – this team needs to know that winning games in the NHL requires focus and intensity from start to finish, and not merely ten minutes of sweat-breaking effort.
But last night’s was just one game (though I feel I’ve watched that game at least a half-dozen times already this year), and the Caps get a quick shot at redemption tomorrow night against the Panthers, who, incidentally, are the only team in the Eastern Conference whom the Caps have yet to beat this season.
Some notes on the game:
On the positive side, there won’t be any non-playoff teams in the playoffs. On the negative side, playing the “turn on and off the effort” game is a dangerous habit to get into, and is a recipe for a quick post-season exit. For all of Bruce Boudreau‘s obvious accomplishments as a coach, his inability to prepare his team mentally each and every night has become a glaring weakness, and one that could prove fatal at the worst time.