Yep. The Caps probably could've won like 7-3 if they kept attacking. They let Tampa walk all over them. They just can't do that. The good news is that its 100% something they can fix. The Caps were obviously the better team when they didn't fold it in.
They flipped a switch when the game was tied up. That's when the "maybe we can just hold on" laziness was replaced by "oh ****, better stop screwing around" urgency and they started skating a bit more (though they still nearly blew it a few times before that PP saved them).
I have more confidence that Oates and crew can fix this compared to Boudreau, who let it fester and was too afraid to mess with the "turn the stars loose and get out of the way" formula for too long.
The turning point this year was the loss to the Pens at the beginning of the road trip. They have said that the coaching staff showed them what they did in that game, and proved to them that despite the score they were playing at a high level in the new system. That's what started the winning in WPG and thereafter.
That tells me the team responds to these coaches, and the coaches seize on good and bad factors that go beyond the final score. Which means this game (and the Florida game) should serve as similar lessons that you just can't stop playing when you get a lead, no matter how big it is. They preach 60 minutes already, but this has to REALLY drive it home.
