Another Disappointing Defeat

It's Puck Night tonight, but there won't be any more of those for the Washington Capitals as of last night.  It's one thing to lose to the eighth seeded Montreal Canadiens in seven games, as they did last year, but now for something much more humiliating: being swept out of the playoffs by your division rival Tampa Bay Lightning. Yes, you read that correctly, and no, it wasn't supposed to be like this, as any Caps fan will tell you.  So, what went wrong?  As I see it, it goes along the lines of:

*The Capitals' commitment to defense resulted in them not generating enough offense.  Before you say anything else, it should be noted that the Capitals were trying to actually add defense to their offensive firepower.  However, along the way, Alex Ovechkin didn't have the help that he normally did, with Niklas Backstrom disappearing this post-season, and Mike Green doing his usual disappearing act.  Ovechkin can carry a team if needed, but even the best need help, and the Caps just simply didn't have it.

*Goaltending showed its age, as in the lack of experience finally caught up to Michal Neuvirth.  Even though he played well in the first round, it was against the New York Rangers, who lack considerable talent.  Against Tampa Bay, this lack of experience was exposed, particularly since the bulk of the scoring came from the role players on the Lightning.  The Dominic Moores and Sean Bergenheims of the world were arguably the second best players on the team, behind Dwayne Roloson (more on him later).

*Center remains a sore spot for the Capitals, as the search for a second line center continues.  Jason Arnott was brought in to be that guy, but he's not a long term solution.  Of course, the real problem goes back to Backstrom disappearing in the playoffs, leaving Arnott to be the most productive center on the team.  Again, two productive centers is a good thing to have, and the Caps just didn't have that this post-season.

*Dwayne Roloson.  Yes, he's 41, and yes, he had been toiling for some really bad teams lately, but when there's a team like the Lightning in front of him, he can make a team's blue line group look good.  He's proven his ability to steal a game for the Lightning this season, as the Pittsburgh Penguins will tell you in game 7.

High expectations for the Capitals have once again, weighed the team down in dismal fashion.  It will be another long off-season for the Capitals, as they have to go back to the drawing board, potentially with a new head coach.