Big Sparks

After a tough two games in Raleigh, NC, the Caps came back to Capital One Arena last night hoping their fans would power their confidence towards a victory after the Carolina Hurricanes, who haven't hosted and even been in the playoffs since the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, absolutely dominated the defending champs in their home arena.

Reports over the weekend came out that TJ Oshie will miss the remainder of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after undergoing surgery to repair a broken collarbone. That didn't stop the star player from cheering on his team from outside the arena, tweeting to his fans to be loud and root on the home team.That motivation from Oshie seemed to really help the Caps and their fans.

The player that took Oshie's spot on the roster was Devante Smith-Pelly, one of the heroes from the Stanley Cup run last year. He made his return to the lineup for the first time since February, after being sent down to the AHL because of somehow struggling this season. That was another sort of a spark.

Spoiler alert: with both of those things mentioned, the Caps really played a dominating game in their return home last night, winning by a 6-0 score. Nicklas Backstrom was a big reason for the win, scoring the Caps' first 2 goals and assisting on 2 more.

Game 6 will take place tomorrow night back in Raleigh. Let's hope the Caps can close it out. Otherwise, they will be back here Wednesday night for Game 7.