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Poll: Can the Capitals bounce back?

improvedovigetty

NHL postseason history is littered with the broken dreams of teams who lost lengthy overtime games. That being said, there are exceptions to the rule and if something unusual were to happen, the consistently weird 2012 playoffs would be the right time for that to occur.

The Washington Capitals fell to the New York Rangers 2-1 in triple overtime tonight and fell behind 2-1 in the series as well. For some, the series might as well be over, yet Braden Holtby ranks among the many who aren’t convinced.

A question of fatigue

If you ask me, the series could change on a dime if the Capitals win in Game 4 for a simple reason: fatigue. As you’ll see from this post and the box score, only one Washington player passed the 40-minute mark (Dennis Wideman). Contrast that with four New York defensemen (including Ryan McDonagh, who logged a ridiculous 53-plus minutes) and even one forward (Ryan Callahan) who passed 40 minutes and it’s not crazy to say that Washington might have a shot if this series goes long.

To put things in perspective, McDonagh had to tell Andrew Gross that he didn’t need an IV after the game.

John Tortorella said that he believed that the Rangers held an edge as Game 3 went along, but what about the series itself? That remains to be seen and, if you ask me, might be the biggest ray of hope on heart-breaking night for the Capitals.

On the other hand, the Rangers regained home ice advantage in the series and an undeniable mental edge (however large).
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OK, so after laying all that on the table, get to voting. Can the Capitals bounce back or will the Rangers roll them over after that big Game 3?

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