Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas speaks on tough Stanley Cup Playoffs loss versus Hurricanes on Tuesday night.
The Washington Capitals often find themselves under the microscope during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and there was much to dissect in Game 1 of their second-round showdown with the Carolina Hurricanes. It was an overall listless showing, as the Caps incurred a 2-1 overtime loss on their home ice Tuesday night. They picked an especially wrong time to have one of their worst performances of the year.
Washington got off only 13 shots versus the Canes and failed to clear the puck out of their zone multiple times. There was an obvious lack of cohesion, and yet, a win was still attainable. Defenseman Jaccob Slavin fired the superb game-ending goal from near the blue line just over three minutes into the OT period.
The puck somehow slipped through several players to beat the Capitals in Game 1. Fans could reasonably chalk this up to bad luck or an uncharacteristically poor effort and maintain optimism for the rest of the series. Though, there is no telling if the squad can regroup and mount a sufficient attack. Forward Aliaksei Protas, who scored the first goal of the matchup, is choosing to look at the big picture while acknowledging the challenge that lies ahead.
“It’s only the first game, but it's going to be a long series,” the 24-year-old Belarusian told reporters after the loss. “We have a second game on Thursday. We’ve got to be ready. It’s only the start—frustrating, but we know we’ll get better.”
Can Aliaksei Protas be the X-factor for Capitals?
This was only Protas' second game back since sustaining a skate cut on his foot in early April. He logged approximately 16 minutes of ice time and looked more comfortable. His second-period score indicates that the rust is quickly coming off, which is good news for Washington. If the Hurricanes are able to suppress goals record-holder Alexander Ovechkin and team points leader Dylan Strome like they did in Game 1, other guys like Protas must step up on a consistent basis.
Spencer Carbery's group has enough playoffs experience to recover from this stinging defeat and bring intensity to Carolina. The Capitals better hurry, however. They will try to avoid a catastrophic start to the series in Thursday's Game 2 battle.
