The Washington Capitals’ season has come to end in first round of the NHL Playoffs. Anthony Beauvillier scored two goals and the Islanders added two empty-netters late in the third period for a 4-0 win in Game 5, closing the door of Washington’s time in the NHL bubble in Toronto.
Capitals had no fight in Game 5
For the exception of Game 4, Game 5 was much like the rest of the series. The Capitals had no fight trying to extend their season. From the early setting, they were flat, the Islanders defense smothered Washington. And when Beauvillier scored his first goal 10 minutes into the first, it was downhill from there for the Capitals.
The Capitals couldn’t sustain a rush in their zone, and New York controlled the pace from the start.
Barry Trotz gets revenge against former team
Barry Trotz spent four seasons as the head coach of the Capitals, leading them to their first-ever Stanley Cup championship in 2018. But, he departed abruptly less than two weeks after hoisting the Stanley Cup after both sides were at odds for a new contract.
Trotz landed in New York as his assistant Todd Reirden took over as the head coach in Washington. With the opportunity to stick it to his former team, Trotz did, outcoaching his understudy in four of five games. He showcased the strategic knowledge that made the Capitals champions two years ago.
The Capitals high powered offense was neutralized and its defense was put on its heels against the Islanders rush time-and-time again.
What’s next for the Capitals?
There is a lot of uncertainty surround the Capitals. Have their championship window come to an end? It’s possible. The core of the team is much older, and maybe the break in action from the coronavirus pandemic and then restarting in a bubble may have been too much for the older core.
Has back-to-back exits in the first round of the playoffs shined a light on Reirden’s struggles as the head coach? Did Braden Holtby play his final game in a Capitals uniform?
The struggles on defense could force changes. There questions moving forward for the Capitals were spotlighted throughout the dreaded series against the Islanders.
