Capitals Game Blog: Capitals See Lead Cut In Half In Second Period

The good news is that they still have the lead, but they could’ve played much better.

The Capitals seemed to stray from what gave them so much success in the first period, electing to fire long-range shots as to crashing the net and generating second-chance opportunities. They also continued to show a lack of discipline on defense, giving the Senators a powerplay at the end of the period that could’ve been a 5-on-3 if not for a missed call.

Neuvirth still looks solid, and was a victim of an odd-man rush giving up that goal. Is it an excuse? No. Is it a good justification? Yes.

The third period is going to come down to a battle of wills. Both teams look tired, and whoever has the mental toughness to ignore their aching bodies will come out on top. The Capitals need to go back to what was working so well in the first period, because as the old adage goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Well, now it’s broke, so they need to fix it.