Different year, same story.

Once again, the Washington Capitals find themselves in grave playoff danger at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins, this time after losing two games on home ice to begin the second round.

As the series moves to Pennsylvania, things are not looking great for the Presidents' Trophy winners, although there's reason to believe a comeback is indeed possible.

Here are three ways the Capitals can overcome the Penguins.

Holtby in the spotlight

After pulling his star goalie in Game 2, head coach Barry Trotz maintained the belief that Braden Holtby - the reigning Vezina Trophy winner - can and will be the difference in the series.

The good news for the Capitals is Holtby has been able to bounce back quite positively after being yanked this season, per Katie Brown of NHL.com.

• Holtby was pulled Jan. 3 after giving up three goals on eight shots to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but then allowed three goals over his next five starts, recording three shutouts.
• His next loss came Jan. 16, an 8-7 overtime loss to the Penguins in which he allowed five goals on 26 shots. After that debacle, he went 13-0-1 over his next 14 starts.
• On March 6, Holtby allowed three goals on 11 shots to the Dallas Stars. He didn't actually rebound all that well here, losing the next two games while allowing nine goals on 56 shots.
• Holtby was pulled late in a 6-3 loss March 31 to the Arizona Coyotes. He went 2-1-0 over his next three starts to finish the regular season, allowing three goals and posting a shutout against the New York Rangers.

Altogether, the Penguins have registered six goals on 35 shots in the series, amounting to a .829 save percentage for Holtby.

He'll need to get back closer to the .925 success rate from the opening-round win over Toronto in order to give his team a chance to win.

Positive contribution from Shattenkirk

Trotz called out Kevin Shattenkirk after Game 2, saying the defenseman simply hasn't been good enough.

Through eight playoff games, Shattenkirk has recorded three power-play assists, 24 shots on goal and, to Trotz's dismay, a minus-seven rating. Add it all up and it's not what was expected when the Capitals acquired Shattenkirk from the St. Louis Blues prior to the trade deadline, nor from a player set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

In fairness, he has been paired with a bit of an anchor in Brooks Orpik, but Shattenkirk - who recorded 14 points in 19 regular-season games with the Capitals - needs to do more with the ice time afforded him.

Keep peppering Fleury with pucks

Luck has not been on Washington's side so far in this series.

Case in point: The Capitals have a 71-45 advantage in shots on goal, but have been outscored 9-4.

On top of that, Washington had more total attempts than the Penguins in both Game 1 (83-41) and Game 2 (88-45), per Hockey Stats.

The .944 save percentage posted by Fleury through two games is well above his career playoff average of .908, meaning at some point, the floodgates could and should open up for the Capitals. There's simply too much talent on the Capitals roster to keep off the scoresheet, even in a short series.

Time is quickly running out for the luck to change, however.

Game 3 is set for Monday in Pittsburgh.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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