UNIONDALE, N.Y. – After the Washington Capitals concluded their regular season with another brunch-time dud, Coach Barry Trotz looked ahead toward the playoffs and saw a problem. In the Eastern Conference, he reasoned, the Capitals were more likely to get scheduled afternoon games, which meant the Capitals soon needed to solve their issues stumbling from the gates at such times.
“Yeah we talk about it all the time,” defenseman Matt Niskanen said. “It’s one of those things where I don’t know if you’ve got to change your routine or what it is to get more prepared to play.