UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The orange rally towels were draped over the seatbacks at Nassau Coliseum, placed everywhere except for the upper levels directly behind both nets, so when Coach Barry Trotz took his pre-practice gander, he wondered whether those sections were reserved for fans who brought their own, like soccer hooligans.
“Let’s Make History,” the towels read. “One More Time.”
The Capitals arrived here powered by their Game 2 win over the Islanders, warmed by a deafening Verizon Center crowd players felt hadn’t been louder in years. Defenseman Karl Alzner’s goal seemed almost foreshadowed by a growing roar over the course of a long offensive-zone shift, when one Islanders player broke a stick and the Capitals kept hammering away.