Alan, at March Madness, it's all about survive in advance. But in the playoffs and the

NHL, sometimes it's about just survive. And the Caps jumped out to a 3-0 lead and then

survived. They did. It was a tale of three games and one game. Every period was its own little

mini game. But you know what? Every mistake is magnified in the playoffs. Every opportunity that

you don't convert on is magnified. And the Caps did what they had to to get to win. There'll be a lot of video watched by the coaches the next few days. And it'll have to be some different execution come Saturday. Brent Johnson rejoins the Capitals Talk podcast. This is one of those games, or you're just going to have to say, well, they won, and that's all that matters at this time of year.

I completely agree with you. I mean, this didn't, to me, didn't look like an inexperienced Carolina Hurricanes.

They, I thought, controlled most of the play. Their forecheck was amazing. They left little options for the Washington Capitals getting out of their zone.

So, yeah, the Washington Capitals are going to need to come up with a plan for that forecheck

and whether that be walls, getting done on the walls and getting their exits a little cleaner,

that's what's got to happen.

J.J. Regan, you think of it this way, though, had Nick Dowd or Carl Haglin on breakaways,

or Brett Connolly or L. or point blank back to back, score any one of those goals early in the third

period. It's 4-0, and it's Good Night Carolina. They didn't, and all of a sudden it was a game.

They definitely had their chances to put it away. But as Alan said, every mistake is magnified and not scoring when you have those opportunities is a mistake. All of a sudden you take those penalties in the third period. All of a sudden, Andre Svetnikoff doesn't look like a rookie anymore. He grew up about three years in the course of three periods and then you got a close game on your hands. But the cabs escaped and that's what matters.

So they move on to game two with a 1-0 series lead. I'm Rob Carlin. The Capitals Talk podcast starts now.

Ovechkin sends it on Carlson, working to the outside, Kuznetzeltz in the front.

Score!

Backstrom again!

There are definitely a lot of teaching moments coming out of this game, Alan, but let's not lose side of the fact that after the first few minutes of trying to figure out

Carolina, Carolina trying to figure out their way in the playoffs, an inexperienced bunch.

Jumping out to that 3-0 lead in the first period ends up being huge

because it had Carolina on their heels for a while.

...