Sports Talk: Youngsters Get Abrupt Wake-Up Call

THE EUPHORIA OF THE CAPITALS' stirring third-period comeback in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals vanished as abruptly as an open-ice hit on Sunday as the Philadelphia Flyers offered several young Capitals players a crash-course in playoff hockey.

"I don't think we were as good as we can be, but I thought Philadelphia made us look pretty bad. ... Hopefully, it was a cheap lesson, but we'll see," Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said. "Philadelphia outplayed us, outworked us and out-won the battles on us. We now know we've got to pay a bigger price if we want to succeed."

The Caps' first defeat in more than three weeks evened the best-of-seven series at 1-1, with the third game Tuesday night in Philly.

To get back on track the Caps will have to figure out how to free Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Mike Green and the rest of their playoff debutantes from the relentless pursuit that left them befuddled on Sunday. Ovechkin said playoff hockey was "faster" and "more physical" than regular season competition and it showed, as the NHL's leading scorer had little room to maneuver and his line, centered by rookie Nicklas Backstrom, was unable to keep the puck.

Green, who scored twice in Game 1, struggled as well. The Flyers' commitment to bottle up the swift defenseman paid dividends when he tried to maneuver through a first-period double team and committed the turnover that led to Philly's second goal.

"We just was a little soft. We didn't shoot the puck. We didn't control the puck. We have to realize, we have to watch some moments and think about it," Ovechkin said.

Afterward, much of the discussion centered on the Caps preference for pretty, possession hockey, while the Flyers were content to dump the puck in, pursue and scrap. To be successful, Washington's "Young Guns" may have to simplify their games.

"They're doing a great job. They hold their ground," said center Sergei Federov, who's won three Stanley Cups. "They're playing obviously in a new mental field. ... It brings a lot of details that they're learning as they go."

Written by Express contributor Brian Straus
Photo by Preston Keres/The Washington Post