The Capitals first noticed the change less than two months ago, after their season series with the New York Islanders ended and before they knew they would meet in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Whenever the Islanders deployed their penalty-kill unit, the skaters showed more aggression, pouncing harder on loose pucks and challenging puck-handlers with more heat. It was, several players said, not unlike the revamped style the Capitals adopted this season under assistant coach Lane Lambert.
“They were a little more aggressive in some areas, yeah,” Coach Barry Trotz said. “They had a little more different reads than when we played then earlier.