This game wasn't exactly the playoff performance the Capitals were hoping for.
Following an impressive 3-1 victory in Game 2, expectations were at an all-time high, but the Carolina Hurricanes dominated from start to finish.
While the Washington capitals played a good physical game in the opening minutes of the first, they slowly let their game creep away from them, and the Hurricanes dictated the game from there.
After the game, Spencer Carbery made himself available to the media, highlighting is subjective thoughts on his team's performance.
«If you score one of those opportunities early, you get a lead, one, two-nothing, and it changes the whole outlook of the game,» he said postgame, «but we didn't. So it doesn't mean you can't find your way through that at 0-0 into the second period. We just needed to do a little bit better.»
«I liked our start,» he said postgame. «I thought we were playing well through (the) first period for sure, first half of the second period.
Then it starts to get a little bit - we lose momentum there for a stretch, and then they score the face-off goal, which sort of brings the building alive.
I thought we were just okay through that, and then once we get down, it's a tough spot for us as a team. It gets off track and our puck play after that wasn't great.»
Defenceman Trevor van Riemdyk also spoke to the media, sharing the same sentiment as his coach.
If the Capitals continue to push their style of game, the results will eventually come.
«I don't think (our response) has to be anything too crazy,» van Riemsdyk said. «I think we played a pretty good game, pretty solid game. I thought we had some decent looks.
Obviously, they were opportunistic and made some nice plays and played well in the second half of that game. But I don't think a lot has to change. We know what we have to do to be successful and we've got to do those things.»