The Washington Capitals have prided themselves on being "battle-tested" because of the way they overcame their own struggles to finish in first place in the Eastern Conference in the regular season. On Sunday night, they will need to summon that experience if they want to get back in their 2011 NHL Playoffs second-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning stormed into Verizon Center Friday and took Game 1, 4-2. The Capitals will look to even things up Sunday at 7 p.m.
Washington took a 2-1 lead in the second period on Friday, but surrendered an own goal, allowed Tampa Bay to take the lead on the power play and reverted to bad habits. The Capitals were impatient against the Lightning's 1-3-1 zone trap in the third period and were not able to get many good shots on goal. They have preached the importance of staying patient in the days since, and they will need to practice that philosophy to get a Game 2 win.
For more on the game and the series, check out our Lightning vs. Capitals section, as well as SB Nation's Capitals blog Japers' Rink.