The absences of Kris Letang and Olli Maata (and Eric Fehr) gave the Caps a major advantage in Game Four. And then Barry Trotz played Mike Weber instead of Nate Schmidt. You know how this ends. Let’s move onto discussing the game itself, shall we?

This game had a little bit of everything, including a tragic denouement. Jay Beagle got a certified puck luck goal, but Sidney Crosby got his first point (and temper tantrum) in the series. Overall, there wasn’t much suggesting that the Caps were taking advantage of the absences of the Pens’ two best defensemen.

The second period was a vomit fest. Spoiler alert: so was overtime. For a time, the Pens eventually mercifully faltered, and the Justin Williams Postseason Redemption Campaign continued. A fabulous shift by Williams and Andre Burakovsky led to John Carlson’s game-tying goal. As expected, the Caps stepped up their game for the third. A scoreless period resulted in overtime, to the chagrin of early risers everywhere.

Penguins beat the Caps 3-2 in OT. Penguins lead the series 3-1.

• In the power vs power battle, Swedish power won. Nick Backstrom led Washington in 5v5 possession and Crosby pulled up the rear for Pittsburgh.
• Less than three minutes into the game, Taylor Chorney dished a pass to Tom Wilson, who handed it off to Jay Beagle. Beagle proceeded to score, somehow, on a very odd angle. WOOF.
• Before you got too comfortable, Trevor Daly evened the score not long after. Or so we thought. Turns out it was just Crosby notching his first point of the series.
• Abolishing late hits and staying out of the box are on my wishlist for this series. But when the the Caps do have the man advantage, it isn’t pretty. The Pens’ penalty kill is impressive, but the Caps look sloppy, underwhelming, and visually displeasing–much like the seventh installment of any horror movie franchise. At least their PK is a rockin’ 37 for 38.
• Fill in the blank: the second period was exceptionally terrible because ______.
• Here’s one entry: the Caps took forever to record a single shot. Watching Wagner’s entire Ring cycle would have taken less time. Meanwhile, the Pens were loading up on shot attempts like they were free nachos.
• Say what you will about intangibles, but there was little urgency in the Caps’ play.
• More second-period negatives: Evgeni Malkin sent Daniel Winnik to the locker room with a high hit. Was there a penalty? (Why am I even asking?) Winnik returned midway through the third period.
• Here’s a Nicklas Backstrom Appreciation Bullet. Dude was doing all the right things at all the right times in all the right places. Williams, on the other hand…
• If you supported Trotz’s decision to sit Schmidt in favor of Weber, go sit in the corner for a time-out.
• Patric Hornqvist ripped one past Holtby. A strong nightcap (or five) is needed to forget that this happened.

Despite missing Letang and Maatta, the Caps’ play left much to be desired. If there’s anything to be learned  from this game, it’s that Braden Holtby must be Beyonce levels of flawless. Holtby Lite is not going to get the Caps three consecutive wins, which is now necessary if they want to dispatch the Penguins.

Some nights are more painful than others. This one, though, is borderline excruciating. Where do we go from here?
Full RMNB Coverage of Game Four