Caps dispatch Jackets after 2-0 series deficit
WASHINGTON 6, COLUMBUS 3
COLUMBUS, OHIO The Washington Capitals celebrated like it was any other victory. Goaltender Braden Holtby straightened in net as the players who had left the bench calmly skated over to hug him one by one.
The Capitals beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-3 in Game 6 to win the first-round playoff series between the teams 4-2. Washington always knew it would win, even when the odds were bad.
After falling into an early 2-0 series hole, losing both of the games at home, the Capitals won four straight playoff games for the first time since 1990 to advance to the second round for the fourth consecutive season.
The journey to this point was rockier with a roster that is less talented and less experienced, but after experiencing growing pains throughout the season, Washington is back to exactly where it was last season: preparing for a secondround series against the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. What has helped these Capitals reach a third straight second-round matchup with Pittsburgh is that even when external expectations were low, both at the start of the season and the start of the playoffs, the team’s confidence never wavered.
In the six games against Columbus, Washington rode its stars on a power play that scored in every game, a goaltender who had initially been beat out for the starting job and secondary scoring that came through in the timeliest of moments. Game 6 was a culmination of all three factors.
The Capitals struggled to protect leads in this series and Blue Jackets centre Pierre-Luc Dubois’s slapshot cut Washington’s edge to 3-2 within the first three minutes of the third period. But the Capitals responded quickly, once again deflating the crowd at Nationwide Arena. Third-line winger Devante Smith-Pelly scored his second goal of the series with a clear shot from the left faceoff circle on a rush. Defenceman Christian Djoos was called for interference 4:39 into the period, but within a minute Chandler Stephenson scored on a short-handed breakaway to give the Capitals a three-goal cushion.
Washington then had to withstand a furious Columbus push for the final 14:30. Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno scored his second goal of the game with 11:38 to play and an interference penalty by Evgeny Kuznetsov gave Columbus a late power play.
The Capitals killed their 17th straight penalty in the series. Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled for an extra attacker with three minutes left and Washington survived that, too, capping the win with an empty-net goal by Lars Eller.
Foligno’s first goal had tied the game in the second period after the Capitals had missed an opportunity to extend their early lead on a 5-on-3, but then the Capitals got a lift from their captain. Alex Ovechkin had a big hit on Oliver Bjorkstrand to force a turnover and extend a shift. Defenceman Brooks Orpik’s shot went off Bobrovsky ’s pad and Ovechkin, posted in front of the net, backhanded the rebound in to put Washington back ahead 12:50 into the second period.
Less than five minutes later, Columbus defenceman Seth Jones was called for holding Ovechkin and Washington’s power play took advantage this time. Ovechkin’s signature one-timer from the left faceoff circle gave the Capitals a 3-1 lead through two periods. Washington’s man-advantage unit finished with nine goals in the series on 27 chances. When Columbus focused on Ovechkin, forward T.J. Oshie was able to take advantage with three goals. When the penalty kill then shifted the attention to Oshie, Ovechkin scored.
After Washington had fallen into its 2-0 series deficit, Ovechkin matter-of-factly said the team would return to Capital One Arena with the series tied. The Capitals then won games 3 and 4 in Columbus to back up Ovechkin’s words. Coach Barry Trotz acknowledged Columbus was the better team in Washington’s Game 5 overtime win and Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella was so confident in his group he twice said Columbus would return to Washington for Game 7.
“He wants to get it out there he believes in his team, just as I believe in my team,” Trotz said. Adversity answered: From the time the final horn sounded in Game 2, the series seemed bleak for Washington, a team long plagued by playoff ghosts. Then the Capitals won four straight games, three of them on the road in Columbus. It’s never easy, but this one was a little easier: With Washington leading 3-1 to start the third period, a blatant trip by Matt Calvert on Djoos resulted in the Blue Jackets’ second goal of the game and gave Columbus life just after a penalty kill at the start of the third period had clearly sapped the reserves of the fans at Nationwide Arena.
Then the Capitals struck not once, but twice on goals by SmithPelly and Stephenson. But the Blue Jackets didn’t fold and Nick Foligno added his second of the night to keep Columbus within striking distance. Then a poorly timed penalty by Kuznetsov with about seven minutes remaining gave Columbus another chance. The penalty kill came up big and the Blue Jackets would get no closer.
Penalty kills: Columbus’s powerplay unit had been the bane of Washington’s existence in games 1 and 2 with the Blue Jackets scoring four pivotal goals with the extra man to swing the series early. Since then? Washington entered Game 6 killing 12 of the previous 12 Columbus power plays. Monday night, the Capitals killed off all four of the Blue Jackets’ opportunities. Ovie marches on: Throughout his career, Ovechkin has been derided as a player who has not performed in the post-season, but after Monday he had 51 goals in 103 playoff games with 47 assists. That’s nearly a point per game and his goals Monday helped power Washington to the second round.
Only five active players (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Nikita Kucherov, Patrick Kane and Ryan Getzlaf ) have a better points-perplayoff-game rate than Ovechkin. Washington Post