I expect the Caps will make a gung ho effort tonight but still lose. This team is obviously too old, slow and tired to compete. There's just no jump to their game, no flow and no crispness, all things the Bruins have demonstrated throughout the series. By the time the OT arrives, or even the third period, most of the Caps look gassed. I think a major overhaul is in order or this team is going the way of the SJ Sharks who hung on to aging veterans, gave up draft picks and are now screwed for years.
Just making a quick glance over the roster, there are only a few guys I see who are ones we definitely should hold on to going forward. Ovie, obviously, isn't going anywhere and he still plays at a pretty high level. He needs better guys around him. I'd keep Eller, Dowd, Hathaway, Wilson and Mantha. That's it among the forwards. Everybody else is expendable and that includes Backstrom and Kuznetsov. In fact, they are basically just taking up space at this point. I'm on the fence with Oshie. I love the guy but he's looked a bit aged in this series, too. If he's on the team, I'd be fine with it.
On defense, Orlov has been the best guy out there. much to my surprise. Dillon, aside from the bonehead play in game 2, hasn't looked bad and he's been physical. Any of the rest can go and that includes Carlson, maybe especially Carlson. In goal, I'd keep Samsonov. He's stood on his head in this series and kept it from being much worse. He made the one dumb play in Game 3 but has otherwise been stellar. Criticisms of his overall play make no sense given the domination of Boston otherwise.
