For the Capitals, a second-round playoff win over the Penguins encompassed two decades of expectations and disappointments, regular-season bliss and postseason heartache. Caps fans who endured every bump of that journey could now find that a trip to the Eastern Conference finals includes a couple more unexpected obstacles.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has amended its ticket policy for the next round of playoffs, barring anyone without a Florida ZIP code from buying tickets through the team or its official partner, Ticketmaster. The use of “geofencing” technology is not unheard of in the sports world — the Caps, in fact, similarly restricted single-game sales for their second round series against the Penguins to residents of Washington, Maryland and Virginia — and fans can still explore the secondary market for tickets to Friday’s Game 1 at Amalie Arena.