As the laws of team sports dictate, no one player is to blame for the Washington Capitals‘ Game 5 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
But that’s not stopping Matt Niskanen from taking full responsibility.
The dejected-looking Capitals defenceman shouldered the burden of Saturday’s 3-2 loss during his post-game media scrum, putting the blame squarely on his shoulders for all three of Tampa Bay’s goals.
“It’s pinballing around in the neutral zone there. I stepped up, didn’t get the man or the puck, they got a 2-on-1 out of it and scored,” Niskanen told reporters, referencing the Lightning’s quick goal just 19 seconds into the game. “First three goals are all my fault. I had a tough first 20 minutes and 30 seconds. So I’ve got to be better next game.”
Niskanen did register a helper on the Capitals’ first goal — his fourth consecutive game with an assist — late in the second period, but finished with a minus-2 rating as the Capitals couldn’t quite complete the comeback despite the late push. Now on the brink of elimination, all focus shifts to Monday’s Game 5 at home as the club tries to force a Game 7.
And, as Niskanen reiterated, this team is no stranger to adversity.
“A lot of people counted us out when we were down 0-2 in the first round [against Columbus]. Things got hard in the last series [against Pittsburgh], where we could’ve melted, and we just kept playing,” Niskanen said. “So that’s what we’ve got to do again. Bring our best effort for Game 6 at home, win a game, and then we’ll go from there.”
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