What's in a Loss?

Anyone who has been following the Capitals for at least five years knows how to tolerate failure.  Well, maybe not tolerate, but certainly accept.  I mean, it is not as if we have any other choice in the matter.  Like most Caps fans (except a certain few, everlasting pessimists), we thought that the 2009-2010 season was going to be different.  We had a glimmer of hope that this could be the season.

It wasn't.  Simple as that.  Some people want to blame Halak, others want to blame Boudreau.  Most Pens fans blame Ovechkin.  I have yet to understand all these individuals being blamed for a team sport.  It isn't like anyone scored on their own net in overtime (*Cough*Boyle*Cough*).  It was a team failure, for sure.

The regular season, sure, it was fine.  A team that racks up 121 points is a good team, for sure.  But jog back you memory a little.  How many of those overtime wins did the Capitals only decide to start playing in the middle of the third period?  How many time did they sit comfortably with a lead in the first and watch it slip away?  How many games did the team act like skill, and skill alone, would help them prevail?  Too often.  I would wonder how that fares in the regular season versus the playoffs.