That's all probably accurate and fine, but you're getting too close to suggesting that choking isn't real. Narratives are projected onto things inappropriately all the time, and many losses aren't caused by choking, but it's a factor that exists. The Capitals absolutely choked in 2017 against the Penguins. They might've been in a position not to choke had they been luckier earlier and a lucky bounce within the game could've set things on a different course, but game 7 was a mental collapse if one's ever happened. They also did seem to respond better to bad luck this year -- remember, for example, those bullshit calls in R3G2 before the blowout started. That's another thing that gets overstated by pundits, et al., but that doesn't mean it's never real.