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If Alex Ovechkin is the figurative beating heart of the Washington Capitals, then Nicklas Backstrom is the soul.
Ovechkin's game is measured by ferocity and high-speed collisions, while Backstrom's is more serene and tactical. That isn't to say there's not a fiery edge to the smooth-skating Swede, and for the first time in his career that emotion got the best of him.
With Backstrom forced from the lineup for Game 4 of this Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series by a one-game suspension, the Capitals will be in the unenviable, although familiar, position of needing to win an important contest without their best center and playmaker.
"We just have to obviously modify a little bit, but just I think keeping things simple and making it easy on ourselves by...
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