#CapsBolts Postgame Notebook: Late Start

The Capitals played 39 minutes of good hockey in Saturday's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final series with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but by the time they got around to doing so, the Bolts had rolled out to a 3-0 lead. That three-goal ditch proved to be too deep to dig out of, and the Caps were saddled with a 3-2 loss at night's end, their third straight setback in the series.

By the time the game was just 19 seconds old, the Lightning had a lead it would not relinquish. Tampa Bay went up 1-0 on a Cedric Paquette goal - his first goal and second point in 15 playoff games this spring - and it had a two-goal lead by the time the first period was halfway over.

"We stunk in the first," says Caps defenseman Matt Niskanen. "They just outskated us and outbattled us. And the first shift in the second, I just get burned wide and they get another one. It's a pretty tall hill to climb then. But the guys played really hard, boy, to make a comeback and almost tied it up there at the end. So kudos to the guys to stay with it and keep battling and go after it, but we've got to start on time next game."

Tampa Bay also scored in the first minute of the second period to open up a three-goal lead on the Caps. That's when Washington kicked it into gear, but it turned out to be too little, too late. The sluggish start and loss to the Lightning leaves the Caps needing consecutive wins to keep their season alive.

Washington will host Game 6 on Monday, and it must win then to force a Game 7 back in Tampa on Wednesday.

Unhappy Trails -Going into Game 3 of their Eastern Conference final series with the Lightning, the Capitals had trailed on the scoreboard for a grand total of 113 minutes and 30 seconds of their 14 Stanley Cup playoff games to that point. Washington spent just 59 seconds of that time trailing by more than a single goal.

The Capitals were also up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference final series at that point, but three games - and three losses - later, the numbers have changed significantly. Washington has trailed for more cumulative time in these three straight losses to the Lightning than it had in its 14 previous playoff games combined.

Washington has trailed for 130 minutes and 37 seconds of the 180 minutes of hockey played in the last three contests. It has owned a lead for just 70 seconds of those 180 minutes. The Caps have been down by multiple goals for virtually half of the time over those last three games, a total of 87 minutes and 32 seconds.

Through the first two games of this series, the Caps owned a 15-5 advantage over their foes in the first period of their 14 playoff games to that point. Washington got to the Eastern Conference final largely by getting on the board first - as it did in nine of its 12 games in the first two rounds of the playoffs - and outlasting the opposition's chasing over the remainder of the evening. But the tables have turned in these last three games - the Lightning is leaping out to early leads and the Capitals are doing all the unsuccessful chasing.

"When they're playing with the lead, they're going to be pretty responsible, and not give up too much on the rush," says Niskanen. "So we've got to work a little harder to get on the inside to score a little more. That first goal is a big one, but just bring our best effort for Game 6."

The Lightning has outscored Washington by a combined total of 5-1 in the first period of the last three games.

Leading Man -Caps center Evgeny Kuznetsov continued his playoff hot streak on Saturday, scoring Washington's first goal of the game early in the second period to extend his scoring streak to eight straight games (six goals, seven assists).

Kuznetsov now has 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in the 2018 playoffs, and he leads all skaters in postseason scoring. His 22 points in a single playoff year also establishes a Capitals franchise record for most points in a playoff season.

Blackjack -With his goal in the penultimate minute of Game 5, Caps captain Alex Ovechkin now has 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists), matching his single-season career high in the playoffs. Ovechkin also had 11 goals and 21 points in the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Power Outage - Washington went through Saturday's game without a power-play opportunity, the fifth time the Caps have suffered that fate in their last 94 Stanley Cup playoff games. Four of those five occurrences have come late in the series; one in Saturday's Game 5, one in a Game 6 (against the New York Rangers in 2013), and two in Game 7s (second round against Pittsburgh in 2009 and first round vs. New York Islanders in 2015).

Last Minute, First Minute -In opening up a 2-0 series lead over the Lightning last weekend, the Caps scored a power-play goal in the waning seconds of a period twice. Each of those goals was crippling to the Bolts, as those last-second goals in periods often are.

In Saturday's Game 5, the Lightning turned the tables on the Caps, striking in the first minute of both the first and second periods.

By The Numbers - John Carlson led the Caps with 25:54 in ice time, with eight shots on net, and with 11 shot attempts … Ovechkin led the Capitals with six hits … Carlson, Dmitry Orlov and Christian Djoos each had two blocked shots in the game to lead the Caps … Nicklas Backstrom won 12 of 17 face-offs (71%).