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Absolutely brutal, no good, terrible, trash, blech collapse sends Caps to the brink: Panthers beat Capitals 5-3

Teams that win Game 5 to go 3-2 in a series win that series 79% of the time. So it’s safe to say it was important.

TJ Oshie with another goal in this series gave the Caps an early lead. Justin Schultz popped on a loose puck to double the lead and TJ Oshie caught another to give them three. Florida would respond with three straight games in the second to tie as the Caps forgot how to play hockey.

Carter Verhaeghe again. Claude Giroux sealed it.

The Panthers beat the Capitals 5-3. The Panthers now lead the series 3-2.

  • The Capitals played a very good first dozen minutes until the Panthers took advantage of a few man advantages that really gave them the momentum to end the period. Little management of the game on the part of the officials. It would have been nice if the Caps had a home game of it.
  • I have to make sure we revisit a whistle rule that’s been around for about 100 years just to give every Caps fan a panic attack. Officiating born yesterday is the NHL’s greatest export.
  • Some weird things happen with the lines of the first one. Peter Laviolette tries to be tricky with matchups and plays Alex Ovechkin on a few different lines. Anything that works.
  • You can’t go 3-0 halfway through a hockey game and have that happen in one period. Just a few absolutely brutal and avoidable mistakes got Florida right back into the game. Horrible.
  • John Carlson must put his body in front of this puck. Dive on the suction cup if necessary. Not anything. Martin Fehervary Wasn’t great on recovery either, but this change was pointless as they had the option to change before it happened. Extended for no good reason.
  • Five Capitals players sit in their crease and get beaten by a single Panther to tie the game. Just giving goals.
  • Watch, Alexander Barkov is not a dirty player but he knew perfectly well what he was doing with that high stick on Ilya Samsonov. I don’t think he was talking about the end result, but he wasn’t oblivious.
  • Zero lives to start the third and of course you can’t do that in the playoffs. They looked a lot more like the Caps I expected in this series…which is not a good thing.
  • Dmitry Orlov was terrible in that game. His nonsense led to Verhaeghe’s goal to give Florida their first lead. Carlson followed that up with another mindless move on Giroux’s sealer.
  • Ilya Samsonov did what he could. The team ahead of him put way too much on him in the second half of the game.
  • Marcus Johansson had four or five chances in this series that just have to come in. Exasperating.

Game 6 is back at home at Capital One Arena on Friday. Big game to say the least. Win or meet in September.

Screenshot via ESPN

laxman

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