ARLINGTON, Va. - While some Washington Capitals professed to not see a pattern in blown playoff series leads over the years or failures to reach the conference finals, forward Troy Brouwer wondered aloud Friday about a possible "mental block."
"We've got to find a way to be able to get past this little hump of losing in the first or second round, and it starts with closing teams out and not being afraid to succeed," Brouwer said at the Capitals' practice facility, two days after the team was eliminated by the New York Rangers with a 2-1 overtime loss in Game 7.