An absolutely brutal, no good, terrible, garbage, blech collapse sends the Caps to the brink: Panthers beat Capitals 5-3 – Russian Machine Never Breaks

Teams that win Game Five to go up 3-2 in a series win that series 79-percent of the time. So, it’s safe to say this was an important one.

TJ Oshie with yet another goal in this series gave the Caps an early lead. Justin Schultz pounced on a loose puck to double the lead and TJ Oshie would grab another to give them three. Florida would respond with three straight in the second to tie it up as the Caps forget how to play hockey.

Carter Verhaeghe yet again. Claude Giroux sealed it.

Panthers beat Capitals 5-3. Panthers now lead series 3-2.

  • Capitals played a pretty darn good first twelve minutes or so until the Panthers went on a couple of man advantages that really gave them momentum to end the frame. Little game management from the officials. Would have been nice if the Caps got some of that on home ice.
  • Gotta make sure we go review a whistle rule that has been a thing for like 100 years just to give every Caps fan ever an anxiety attack. Born yesterday officiating is the NHL’s greatest export.
  • Some weird things going on with the lines in the first. Peter Laviolette trying to get tricky with matchups and playing Alex Ovechkin on a couple of different lines. Whatever works.
  • You cant go up 3-0 halfway through a hockey game and have that happen all in one period. Just a couple of absolutely brutal, avoidable mistakes just let Florida walk right back into the game. Horrible.
  • John Carlson needs to get his body in front of that puck. Dive on the sucker if you have to. Not whatever that was. Martin Fehervary wasn’t great either on the recovery but that shift was needless as they had the chance to change before any of that happened. Extended it for zero good reason.
  • Five Capitals players sitting in their crease and get beat out by a single Panther to tie the game. Just giving goals away.
  • Look, Aleksander Barkov is not a dirty player but he entirely knew what he was doing with that high-stick on Ilya Samsonov. I don’t think he meant the end result but he wasn’t oblivious there.
  • Zero life to start the third and of course you cant do that in the playoffs. They looked much more like the Caps I kind of expected in this series…which isn’t a good thing.
  • Dmitry Orlov was terrible in this game. His nonsense led to the Verhaeghe goal to give Florida their first lead. Carlson followed it up with another brainless move on Giroux’s sealing goal.
  • Ilya Samsonov did what he could. The team in front of him put far too much on him in the second half of the game.
  • Marcus Johansson has had like four or five chances in this series that just have to go in. Infuriating.

Game Six is back on home ice at Capital One Arena on Friday. Big game to say the least. Win or it’s see ya in September.

Screenshot via ESPN