Washington finished the regular season with 120 points. The next closest team, Dallas, finished with 109. But now the Capitals find themselves in a near do-or-die spot trailing Pittsburgh 2-1 in their conference semifinal series.

Lower seeded teams who grab a 3-1 lead win the series 90 percent of the time, according to research compiled by WhoWins. So it's obvious the Capitals - the superior team - will have feel a tremendous sense of urgency. The Capitals have a strong goalie edge with Braden Holtby against 21-year-old rookie Matt Murray. Only Dallas scored more goals per game than the Capitals.

But what really makes this such a powerful play is the Penguins are going to be without their key player as defenseman Kris Letang is suspended for this matchup. Letang is the Penguins' every man and has been skating nearly 30 minutes a game during the Stanley Cup. The Penguins can't replace his versatility, defense and back line offense. Remember, the Penguins are likely to still be missing defenseman Olli Maatta also.

This is too much for the upstart Penguins to overcome against the superior foe even being home. Pittsburgh was 2-8-1 when they were without Letang during the regular season.