SURGING CAPITALS DELIVER ANOTHER JOLT OF REALITY
So much for an emotional letdown.
It was widely believed the Washington Capitals would come out flat to begin their NHL Eastern Conference final with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Caps, after all, had finally eliminated the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins had won nine of 10 playoff series against Washington.
Beating Sidney Crosby and Co. was the Caps’ Cup.
Or so we thought. Instead, it looks like the Caps are using the Penguins as a springboard to bigger and better things.
After a 6-2 victory Sunday, they have outscored the Lightning 10-4 in two games at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.
They now return home to Capital One Arena with a 2-0 series lead and firm control of the series.
From their stars to their thirdand fourth-line players, from their defence to their goaltending, they have been the far superior team.
After falling behind 2-1 on a controversial call that led to a Tampa power play, the Capitals scored five unanswered goals the rest of the way.
Are the Lightning getting frustrated?
When their star winger Nikita Kucherov kicks Brett Connolly as he skates by the Washington winger near the bench late in the game, yeah, you could say they are frustrated.
If the league suspends Kucherov for even one game, Tampa’s chances of bouncing back in the series are slim. Even if they don’t, it appears the Caps are on a mission.
OFF THE TOP: In this day and age, there really should be no blown calls.
At least not like the one in first period of Sunday’s LightningCapitals game.
Not when video replay offers up an obvious contradiction to what the referees and linesmen think they saw on the ice.
An off-ice official should have been able to call down to the men in stripes to let them know T.J. Oshie didn’t actually high-stick Victor Hedman, but it was the puck that caught the big Lightning defenceman in the face, causing him to fall.
The stripes heard the complaints of coach Barry Trotz and Capitals players, but after huddling none of the four could say it was the puck hitting Hedman. So Oshie was sent to the box and Steven Stamkos scored on the ensuing power play, giving the Lightning a 2-1 lead.
It could have turned out to be the pivotal point of the series had the Lightning went on to win.
During the intermission, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos argued that circumstances unfolded properly. He doesn’t want to take more power away from the officials. He doesn’t want to see another delay in the game while off-ice officials either in the arena or at headquarters in Toronto review the play. He didn’t want the fans to have to sit there and “twiddle their thumbs” as they wait through the process.
I say do whatever it takes to get the call right. The games are too important now.
STARTS AND STOPS: Nothing like a visitors’ goal 28 seconds after the opening faceoff to quiet the home crowd. It would have been a great save, but Tom Wilson’s deflection was from so far out Andrei Vasilevskiy should have been on it ... It was Wilson’s first goal since April 19 or Game 4 of the Caps’ opening-round series against Columbus and his third of the playoffs. Doesn’t it feel like he has scored more? ... From the world hockey championship in Denmark, David Pastrnak no doubt watched highlights of the Hedman incident and shook his head. In the Bruins-Bolts series, he was given a double minor when Hedman high-sticked himself in the face ... If it was golf, Hedman would have to be honest and tell officials neither Pastrnak nor Oshie clipped him.
BETWEEN PERIODS: If there was an award for best second-year player in the league, Brayden Point would get my vote ... The old “you have to be good to be lucky” thing explains how Point was in the right spot for the rebound from a blocked shot to land on his stick and a moment later transfer it into the net. The Capitals have scored first in 11 of their 14 playoff games to date. Sunday night was the first time in those 14 they trailed after one period ... Ryan McDonagh put Wilson over the boards early in the first period and Wilson almost returned the favour when he stepped out of the box a few minutes later. Theirs is a battle to watch for the rest of the series ... Brooks Orpik, who might just be the dirtiest player in the NHL, seems to have a feud going with Chris Kunitz, too.
CHANGING LINES: Liked the way Mikhail Sergachev so smoothly walked around a couple of Capitals as he stepped in from the blue-line. It’s very hard to believe he’s still just 19 years old, isn’t it? ... Young people heal quicker, too, which explains why Sergachev was able to return so soon after taking a hard point blast by Dmitry Orlov off the hip ... Third- and fourth-line guys always seem to step up and make big plays in the playoffs. The latest example — Alex Chiasson to Devante Smith-Pelly to tie the score at twos.
BACK TO THE POINT: When Nicklas Backstrom went down with a hand injury, it appeared the Capitals would be in big trouble. But Lars Eller has not only filled the void, but he continues to thrive in his expanded role. That was a big one he scored with 62 seconds left in the second period to put Washington up 3-2 ... And appeared to be a back-breaker from Evgeny Kuznetsov with three seconds left to give the Caps a two-goal lead. Clearly, the Lightning quit playing the second period before it actually ended ... A Winnipeg-Washington final would be a first. Never before have two teams that play out of a city starting with a ‘W’ met before in a battle for the Cup. And I didn’t even have to look that up.