In his press conference Monday night after the Washington Capitals won their second-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, coach Barry Trotz said this phrase no fewer than three times: “Next guy up.”
It might belong on a list of the greatest sports cliches, but that doesn’t make it any less descriptive of how the Capitals pulled out a series-clinching win while missing some of their best players.
“Next guy up. To me it’s about playing the right way, it’s playing systematically, trusting in the guy next to you that he’s gonna get his job done and just playing as a unit,” Trotz said.