"Overtime games build character," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. "Win or lose, you learn something from it."
By now, the Capitals should have a doctorate in playoff overtime. Dating back to the 2016 Eastern Conference Second Round against the Pittsburgh Penguins, 12 of their past 22 playoff games have gone beyond regulation.
At some point, they'd love to have an easy regulation win, but they're in no position to be picky. They need another win Thursday to even the series or they'll face elimination in Game 5 in Washington on Saturday.
"If it takes eight periods, we just want to win," Trotz said. "We won one game. We didn't get what we wanted at home, so our focus has to be on one game. To get fat and happy after a win right now, we're still in a hole. So we need a lot of desperation, we need a lot of commitment, we need a lot of focus next game, and let's see if we can get this tied up."