UNIONDALE, N.Y. – During the regular season, the Washington Capitals discussed their heaviness on a game-by-game level. They wanted to wear opponents down across 60 minutes, or perhaps the five extra beyond it, but understood their impact had a ceiling. Unless the schedule allowed an upcoming rematch, the teams would separate from each other and move on.
Before the playoffs began, the Capitals shifted their focus. They had perhaps seven games against the New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals and wanted to use their size advantage — by weight, they are the NHL’s biggest team – as a method of attrition.