Capitals Focused on Winning, Not Playoffs of the Past

One often wonders how much players think about their team’s poor performances in past NHL postseasons. That question will be asked many times between now and Saturday night to the Washington Capitals.

The top team during the 2016 NHL regular season is facing elimination in Game 5 on Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Washington has lots of playoff baggage it carries around and this season was the year they were supposed to get rid of it.

Mike Knuble who used to play for the Capitals said that he and his teammates never believed in the ghost of hockey, as they do not play on the ice.

As every player will tell you in any sport, you do not care about what happened prior to the game you are currently playing as that is out of everyone’s control. The thing to worry about said Knuble was what was happening on the ice at that moment.

However, does every other player on the current Capitals feel the same way? During the era of Alex Ovechkin, the Capitals have never escaped the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Washington players and coaches know that winning at home in Game 5 will give the Capitals the confidence to go on the road and even the series in Game 6 at Pittsburgh.

If the Capitals can do that, the momentum will have shifted completely to their favor and can play Game 7 to determine the series at home.

Ovechkin will not be thinking of the past. He already has erased the first four games of the series from his mind and is focused on just Saturday’s Game 5.

Head coach Barry Trotz will use Friday and part of Saturday leading up to the opening faceoff to massage the psyche of his players.

He will remind them they played very well in both Games 3 and 4 despite not getting the final results they wanted.

He needs to let them know again just how strong they were the entire regular season. He needs his players to enter the rink on Saturday with swagger.

Washington led the New York Rangers last season 3-1 but lost the series 4-3, after losing three straight. They believe they can do the same to Pittsburgh this season.

If Washington can come back and win the series against Pittsburgh, it will bring to an end one decade of frustration for players, coaches and fans.