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.
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
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