Flyers looking to cultivate yet another Capitals playoff collapse

How do you overcome a 3-1 deficit? Wayne Simmonds says to take it shift by shift.

“Make everything in small increments,” the Flyers winger told the media Thursday. “We got to go out there and we got to work harder than them the next shift, then go shift to shift to shift. Then when that periods over it’s kind of like you’re starting the new game with the new period. Obviously we can’t look big picture. We got to look small picture and that’s the way that we’re going to climb back into this.”

Flyers fans no doubt see it differently. They see some light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, it’s a monumental sports feat that has been completed just a handful of times. But the Capitals have shown they are beatable. The Flyers have won four games in a row twice this season and Washington has been known to crumble in the postseason. Anything could happen, right?

“I think we get a little confidence knowing that we can beat them and knowing that we can play as a team,” Giroux, who had an assist in Wednesday’s 2-1 Game 4 win,said. “And the way we want to play we can be successful. We know we’re in a tough spot right now and we need to keep playing the way we did last game. It’s good to know we can be successful playing the way we want to play.”

Game 5 starts at 7 p.m. Friday night in Washington and there will certainly be some urgency on the part of the Caps to wrap things up before a possible Sunday Game 6 back in Philly.

In eight of the last nine seasons the Capitals finished first (six times) or second in their division. In each and every one of those postseasons, the Caps lost in either the first (four times) or second (four times) round.

Can the Capitals keep it together and win one more game?

“This isn’t a group that wants to stop any time soon,” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said Thursday,”so right now you’re on a one-day basis: win and continue to move on. It’s probably a good scenario for us. I think we’ve been very good at short-term goals.”

Like the endearing fans, Hakstol too is thinking maybe, just maybe they can strike fear into the Caps and force yet another playoff collapse.

“I would imagine if we can push and bring this series back to a Game 6, maybe they may start feeling a little bit,” he said.”But I wouldn’t imagine that’s something that’s going through their minds right now.”