The Washington Capitals held a players-only meeting in the locker room after losing 6-2 to the Penguins in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Saturday night.

No word if the ghosts of their previous playoff failures were invited.


The Capitals find themselves in a 2-0 hole heading into Game 3 Monday night at PPG Paints Arena. They need to defeat the defending Stanley Cup champions in four of the next five games, with three of those games being played on the road, to win the series.


Given the fact that they're 1-8 all-time in playoff meetings with the Penguins and have a reputation for thriving in the regular season and wilting once the postseason starts, a significant challenge awaits them.


"They've got great pedigree. They've won a Cup," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. "They've gone to places in their room that you have to go to win a championship. We're going to have to go to places that we haven't gone before if we're going to beat this team." ...........

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