Andrey SenchenkoSport correspondentAll materialsEmail to the authorThe Washington Capitals suffered a resounding defeat in Game 5 of the National Hockey League's first round playoff series against the Florida Panthers. In the course of the meeting, the Capitals, through the efforts of Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, led 3-0, but missed the advantage and were on the verge of being eliminated from the Stanley Cup. “Capitals” with thoughts of the fight for the Stanley Cup already in the first round of the playoffs were somewhat premature. Wards of Peter Laviolette distinguished themselves with surprisingly serious discipline and due to the utmost concentration, competent struggle and the realization of chances, they seriously increased their chances of reaching the next stage of the Stanley Cup. However, the current “Washington” would not have lived up to himself if he had not screwed up at a crucial moment. “Capital”, leading during the meeting in the account, often play too much and forget about the plan for the match, as a result of which they miss the advantage. That's how it was in the regular season, and it's the same with the Caps in the playoffs. For example, the fourth game of the series was indicative, which “Washington” was supposed to bring to victory, but in the end they did not take their moments at the gates of Sergei Bobrovsky seriously enough and gave “Florida” a chance to make a comeback, which is a fatal mistake. It is no coincidence that the Panthers are the best club in the NHL today: in the course of the regular season, the southerners repeatedly pressed their rivals at the slightest opportunity to recoup and punished them, as evidenced by the statistics.
