Pain: Isles Take 3-0 Series Lead

This series has been pure pain to watch. The Isles have outworked, out played, and most importantly, outcoached the Caps all 3 games. Trotz just coaching circles around Reirden from the get go. It has been hard for the Caps to adjust without Nick Backstrom in the lineup, which weirdly has not been talked about enough. Losing your 2nd best player early in game 1 of the series is never going to be easy. But that's not why we're down 3-0. Fundamentally the Isles have just been better all around. Today was the Caps best chance to win, and there were still way too many carless turnovers and botched opportunities. I mean the first period the Caps were outshot 14-4, and this was the heat map:

There were flashes of light here and there, but nothing worth writing home about. 

Overall, this series has sucked. Sucked, sucked, sucked. Not even in the "well if a bounce was different here or there" type of way, but from a top to bottom, outworked and overmatched type of way. I think a lot of blame goes on Reirden. The guys look lost, and often unmotivated. I believe in those final 3 minutes of regulation there were 4 turnovers in our own zone that Holtby had to bail us out of. 

So yeah. Game 4 on Tuesday. We know crazier things have happened, but obviously this is dire. Who knows though. Never too late to put it all together and make a run. I love having optimistic hope, even if it is far fetched. Never know.