Thing is, the Caps having gotten into the playoffs due to the Isles' loss the previous evening, this could have been an easy game to say "whatever." But the team manned up and played what was certainly one of their best games of the season. Say what you will about the team's shortcomings, and they do have them -- there really is some pride and purpose to their play.
And you will notice that Colorado, as good a team as there is in the league, makes the same mistakes as the Caps are excoriated for making. NOBODY touched Ovie on the PP goal - he just stood alongside the net and no one ever paid attention to him. And MoJo's goal followed directly from one of those misguided defensive flings into the middle of the ice from the corner. The misplays that we complain about the Caps making-- EVERYBODY makes them.