Can the Capitals come back down 3-1 in their series?
Photo credit: RMNB
The Washington Capitals are out of margin for error, plain and simple. There's no way around it.
Following a 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 on Monday, the Capitals now trail 3-1 in their second-round playoff series. If they can't pull out a win in Game 5 on Thursday, it would mark their sixth playoff series loss in seven attempts since winning the Stanley Cup in 2018.
The Capitals face low odds in coming back down 3-1 to Carolina.
Here's what forward Tom Wilson said post-game after losing Game 4.
«We're going to have to slowly try and push them out of the series. Obviously, our backs are against the wall. Next game is the biggest game. Start with the first period and go from there. It's not going to be easy. They're a hard-working team, but we're going to have some fight here.» -Wilson
Wilson's right, it won't be easy. Historically, only 32 out of 352 teams in NHL history have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-seven series, a success rate of just 9.1 percent. Teams that began the series with home-ice advantage have fared slightly better, coming back 15 times in 124 attempts (12.1 percent). The Capitals do have that advantage, having secured home ice as the Eastern Conference's top seed, writes Austen Bundy from RMNB.
"The most recent team to do so was the 2023 Florida Panthers, who rallied to topple the Boston Bruins in the first round of their eventual march to the Stanley Cup Final. The Edmonton Oilers forced a Game 7 in the Cup final against the Panthers last season but joined the list of teams that failed to complete the epic rebound." -Bundy
It all begins with Game 5 on Thursday, scheduled for a 7:00pm in Washington.
| POLL | ||
MAI 14 | 42 ANSWERS Can the Capitals come back down 3-1 in their series? Do you think the Capitals can come back down 3-1 in their series against the Hurricanes? | ||
| yes | 21 | 50 % |
| no | 21 | 50 % |
| List of polls | ||
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