Lightning 5, Caps 3
And so the 2010-11 season ends in an all-too-familiar fashion for the Caps. They just never got a foothold in this series, trailing first in every single game. But why is that a surprise? That happened all season long. Washington just masked its first-period ineptitude with the NHL’s best winning percentage when trailing after the first period.
But falling behind against a team like Tampa Bay that thrives on playing with the lead is a recipe for disaster. And even when the Caps got a lead and needed to protect it – something they were brilliant at all season – they fell apart. It happened in Game 1 when a 2-1 lead disappeared in a 3:11 span at the end of the second period. It happened in Game 3 when a 3-2 lead disappeared in 24 brutal seconds of the third period. Tonight, Washington again was chasing the game. In 246 minutes, 19 seconds of hockey in this best-of-seven series the Caps led for a grand total of 26:15.
Not necessarily buying the “they just didn’t work hard enough” meme. Tampa Bay played at a high level, its stars produced, its third line was awesome – especially winger Sean Bergenheim – and its ageless goalie, Dwayne Roloson, was good enough to hold the fort, making some key saves when needed. Remember the pad stop on Eric Fehr in Game 3? Or the similar save he made on Mike Knuble tonight? Nothing spectacular. But he didn’t need to be.
One thing we need to remember even while dishing some much-deserved criticism: The Lightning are a quality team. They led the Southeast Division for 66 days between Dec. 30 and March 6 for a reason. Should the Caps have been swept? Of course not. It’s a disaster for the franchise. But the talent level between the two teams isn’t THAT big. Washington was the better team over 82 games – by two wins and four points. Let’s be serious.
Will have plenty about the offseason in this space over the next few weeks. Obviously, general manager George McPhee has a decision to make on coach Bruce Boudreau’s status and then a roster to fill out for 2011-12. Jason Arnott, Marco Sturm, Brooks Laich, Matt Bradley and Boyd Gordon are the main unrestricted free agents left to deal with. His work is just beginning to find a way to get this group over the hump after four postseason appearances and not even a conference finals berth.
Does the front office trade one of the three young goalies – Michal Neuvirth, Semyon Varlamov, Braden Holtby – for an established piece? Or is a bigger trade of an established star (Mike Green, Alex Semin) in order to shake up an obviously fragile room? Are the promising young Russians – Dmitry Orlov, Evgeni Kuznetsov – going to be in the mix next year? How about Cody Eakin? And, as always, managing the salary cap is always an issue for McPhee and his resident capologist Don Fishman. All will be answered in due time.
Next up: Breakdown Day. Not sure when yet – likely Friday to give the players a chance to decompress. After a series loss like this it’s about as fun for players, coaches and media as a trip to the dentist. But we’ll have full coverage with plenty of reaction and look-aheads, who was hiding an injury and needs offseason surgery and as much as we can gather on what the future holds.
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