Crash Landing: Lightning 4, Caps 3

For a team that faced a must-win game, and one that needed to show desperation for 60 minutes to accomplish that mission, the Washington Capitals failed on both accounts. Leading 3-2 after the second period of game three at St. Pete Times Forum, the Caps fell flat in the third and dropped a 4-3 decision to the Tampa Bay Lightning that left them in a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 hole in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The bottom line is that you make your own luck in the playoffs and the Lightning are getting all the bounces. The game-winning goal came off some body part belonging to Ryan Malone, who followed Tampa's game plan and stormed the crease at every opportunity. Malone was met by John Carlson, but the puck found its way past Michal Neuvirth at 5:47 of the third.

Just 24 seconds earlier, Steven Stamkos showed why he's one of the league's elite goal scorers by unleashing a rocket past Neuvirth, who had no chance of stopping it. Those two goals undid any good accomplished by the Caps in the middle frame, when they scored three times.

Those tallies by (in order) Mike Knuble, John Carlson and Alex Ovechkin (on a five-on-three power play) were sandwiched around a tally by Vincent Lecavalier. The Caps' power play, despite Ovechkin's goal, still looked out-of-sync and helpless.

The team's best player tonight was Neuvirth, who made 13 saves in the third period and singlehandedly gave the Caps a chance to win in the final minutes. It might be hard to believe that a goalie that gave up four markers was the team's best player, but the Caps didn't stick with the game plan (again), and played selfishly and recklessly.

All in all, it was a disappointing effort and one that appeared to seal the fate on the season. Yes, the Lightning still has one more game to win, but based on the style of play on the ice, the series result appears inevitable.

Many have argued that Ovechkin's teammates haven't shown up in the playoffs and there's a strong argument for that. For example, Alex Semin has 12 playoff goals -- and eight have come against the New York Rangers. But the Caps captain tried to win the game himself tonight, and that's not a style that helps the team. The Lightning knew what was coming and had two defensemen waiting for the Great Eight to try to enter the offensive zone.

The change that happened mid-season -- which led to a strong finish, the team's fourth consecutive division championship and the top seed in the Eastern Conference -- is looking more like a mirage every day. Maybe more than last season's loss to the Montreal Canadiens, this team's elimination -- which could come as early as tomorrow night (7 p.m., CSN-HD) -- is a bigger blow to Coach Bruce Boudreau's tenure and that of several players, Semin included. (The Caps under Boudreau in the postseason are 8-4 against the Rangers and 9-15 vs. everybody else.)

The Caps' immediate future includes game four. Anything beyond that is extremely cloudy.