Caps on the brink of elimination, game 4 is tonight.
This series against the Islanders, has shown the Capitals are a very mediocre playoff team. There is a lot to unpack with whats gone wrong, so lets look at the four most glaring issues.
First, the players, have been undisciplined. Every game seems like we have a minimum of five penalties. Due to this, the Caps penalty kill has to put in more time than they would like, and also have to defend an extra player.
Reason two, sloppy defense. John Carlson, Dmitri Orlov, ect, all look like they just give up on a majority of the plays and get beat. This leads to multiple scoring opportunities for the Islanders. This also can lead to a few odd man rushes which also lead to scoring opportunities for the Islanders.
One big thing is the physicality is there at the start, then dies out. I believe it was game 2 or game 3 where Wilson had six hits registered in the first period. The rest of the game, he didn’t do much of anything. The Caps need to be physical for a full 60 minutes, in order to play their type of game.
Lastly, lets talk coaching. Reirden, has shown that he doesn’t have the respect of players, or know when to switch things up. On the bench, he constantly looks lost. He looks like he doesn’t know what he is doing, and refuses to make changes to the lineup until its the last period or within the third period.
The game can be seen on NBC Sports Washington, at 8:00 and is also on 106.7 fm,
