The Caps hit the ice for a playoff series no one thought they’d be in (and frankly too many people thought they didn’t “deserve”, whatever that means) – and despite a not-awful start, they came up short, letting the Rangers pile up three goals in quick succession in the middle frame. Game 1 down. Work to do.
Three Takeaways:
- Not a huge fan of the hit on Vincent Iorio that preceded Artemi Panarin’s goal. Agree with Coach Carbery’s postgame assessment that it was borderline (and that some of the onus was on Iorio for not moving the puck fast enough) – but after the ticky-tacky way the first period was called, to miss that, and several other infractions throughout the afternoon? The Caps deserved better.
- And no, they didn’t lose because of the officiating. Just to get that out there.
- Charlie Lindgren made some big saves in this one, and probably kept the score a little closer than it ended up – but you’d like to see him make some saves on at least the second goal.
They Said It: