from Michael Traikos at the National Post,

Wearing a pair of flip flops, board shorts and a team hoodie, Barry Trotz casually strolled up to the dais at the Washington Capitals practice facility and broke out in a big open-mouthed yawn.

It was a long night, the head coach said with a sleepy-eyed smile. Couldn’t get to bed.

Was he, someone asked, up late basking in the glow of Wednesday night’s 2-1 win in Game 4, which nudged the New York Rangers on the edge of elimination and put the Capitals one more win away from a berth in the conference final?

Trotz, who gave his team the day off on Thursday, shook his head.

“There was no basking,” he said. “Too soon for that.”

He might have to wait until after Game 5 on Friday night for that. Then again, Trotz and the Capitals are not taking anything for granted. Not in a series where every game has been decided by one goal, where New York’s top snipers — Rick Nash, Chris Kreider and Martin St. Louis — have been suspiciously quiet and where goaltending has been the nightly difference between a win and a loss.

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