Ben Sumner
Something happened to the Caps in this last series that won’t suddenly disappear now that they’ve conquered the invincible Pittsburgh Penguins. Years of losing in the playoffs, especially when they had the league’s best record, adds bitterness to their persona, which translates to grittiness on the ice. The grittiness can turn into wins against teams playing on depth and talent alone. The Caps should know – they’ve been on the other side of that multiple times.
So long as the Caps stay healthy, and Braden Holtby is at the top of his game, there’s no reason they can’t scratch and claw their way to victory against the Lightning.