Backstrom: 'We didn't lose series tonight, we lost in first 3 games'

While Wednesday's Game 7 might have been do-or-die, for Nicklas Backstrom, the Washington Capitals were doomed much earlier in the series.

The club suffered a 2-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the deciding game, and while it was certainly a big missed opportunity, Backstrom feels the writing was on the wall much earlier in the series.

"We didn't lose the series tonight, we lost it in the first three games, four games," Backstrom said, according to NHL.com's Katie Brown.

While it doesn't make up for the team's poor Game 7 outing, Backstrom's opinion isn't exactly wrong. The Penguins jumped out to a 3-1 series lead, outscoring the Capitals by a 14-9 margin. Despite dominating Games 5 and 6, Washington couldn't win the all-encompassing seventh game.

So while you can't win a series in three of four games, it appears you can lose it.