The Washington Capitals will possibly play their final game in the 2010/11 season on Wednesday night when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 4 of their second-round 2011 NHL Playoffs series. The game begins at 7 p.m. on CSN and Versus, and it comes about 24 hours after the Capitals fell in a 3-0 series hole with a 4-3 loss in Game 3.
The Capitals looked poised to win that game when a power-play goal by Alex Ovechkin put them ahead 3-2 at the end of the second period. Instead, the Capitals allowed two goals in 24 seconds in the third period, dropping their third straight (essentially, since Game 1 had an empty-netter) one-goal game in the series. That touched off a series of eulogies of the Capitals' season and the crossroads they face as a franchise. Coming back from 3-0 down has happened as recently as last season with the Philadelphia Flyers, but it's an extremely rare event.
No matter, though. The Capitals' only chance at a comeback happens if they win Game 4. Win Game 4, and then there's another game to focus on. Lose, and the season will have ended in embarrassing fashion.