Usually, I'm not a believer in moral victories. And I'm sure that the guys in the Capitals locker room aren't thrilled with the result of their game against the Penguins last night. But based on what I've seen from both teams this year, last night's game might not be the worst result in the world.
The Capitals came in riding a two game winning streak, but they aren't that far removed from the losing streak which caused fans so much concern. The Penguins, meanwhile, were one of the hottest teams in all of the NHL.
Nobody wants to lose to Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, but taking them all the way to the seventh round of a shootout is a pretty good result considering where these two teams have been in recent weeks.
And besides, this isn't the most important game against the Penguins that the Capitals will play in the coming weeks. The Winter Classic is much more important, for the team and for the fans.
If the Capitals can use last night's game to build some confidence in themselves, then use that confidence to get a win on New Year's day, then I would say that counts as a win.
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