1. The Shot Total
In many ways, Game 1 of the Caps’ second-round series against the ‘Canes was exactly what we expected, one in which quality-over-quantity Carolina outshot Washington by a significant margin, but the game (on the scoreboard, at least) was tight throughout thanks to the Caps’ edge in goal and/or finishing talent and a brutal Caps defensive-zone turnover, and ultimately ended with some low-danger horseshit sneaking under Logan Thompson’s right pad.
It was as unsurprising as any Caps playoff game this season, even if the shot totals were a caricature of the two teams’ preferences for how to generate offense.