"I thought we eased into that game," Trotz said. "You've heard me talk about sometimes going around games instead of through games, and I think some guys wanted to go around that game thinking that maybe it was going to be an easy game and [the Flyers] would go away and they're not going away. You've got to make them go away."
Unfortunately for the Capitals, this has been a recurring theme in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They have yet to learn to have that "killer instinct" to finish off an opponent that Trotz has often spoke about during his two seasons with the organization.
It's actually an issue that predates Trotz's arrival. The Capitals are 1-7 in their past eight chances to close out a series dating back to 2013, when they couldn't close out the New York Rangers after leading 3-2 in their first-round series.
In the first round of last year's playoffs, they had the New York Islanders down 3-2, but lost Game 6 at Nassau Coliseum before taking the series with a Game 7 victory at Verizon Center. Then, after taking a 3-1 series lead on the Rangers in the second round, they lost the next three games, including two in overtime.
"It's amazing in this league if you give teams hope, what they can do with it," Capitals right wing Tom Wilson said. "They win one game, they're obviously feeling a lot better than being down 3-0 and, say they get the second game, it can be a slippery slope. So, when you have a team on the brink of elimination, you have to make sure that you finish it and take care of business. That's, obviously, something this team can do a better job at."