2011 Caps/Lightning playoff series

[c9777666]

This remains to date the only time in the Ovechkin era the Caps lost a playoff series that did not go 6 or 7 games.

It was Boudreau's last kick at the can in DC (got fired in November '11), Caps went through a bit of an identity crisis (Oates and Hunter soon followed as coaches).

Tampa, OTOH.... this was their one shot at a Cup with an interesting hybrid roster (only time Stamkos/St. Louis/LeCavalier were in the playoffs at the same time, Kucherov and company were not there yet)

Goalie matchup- Dwayne Roloson vs. Michal Neuvirth.

Caps were coming off a rare short playoff series win (5 games over the Rangers, wouldn't win in such fashion again until they won the Cup), Tampa had came back from a 3-1 deficit against Pittsburgh (albeit without Crosby/Malkin).

And yet..... this series was all Tampa. Boudreau didn't even go to Varlamov, who was still at his disposal to possibly change momentum as we sometimes see with goalie changes in a series.

How do you explain this rare Caps playoff series loss that ended early rather than late?

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[The Macho King]

Roloson was beasting that series, and Vinny looked like he stepped out of a time machine from 05.

 

[Midnight Judges]

I remember it distinctly.

Bruce Boudreau was utterly out coached and out schemed by Guy Boucher.

TB was running a trap (ish) scheme and BB had no answer for it. The Caps could not sustain any offense at all (which was abnormal for them), nor could they stop anything (which was normal for them).

Roloson was good, TB played well, Washington's blue line was utter garbage at the time, but I am convinced this was a case of X's and O's.