Teammates playing right along as Ovechkin sets tone for Caps

TWASHINGTON HE tweet popped up on the laptop screen about a half-hour before the opening faceoff Saturday.

“I’ve been a Washingtonian for over 30 years. So

“Fleury had to make some good saves,” the Knights’ coach said. “He was the difference for us to stay close.”

Ovechkin showed gobs of emotion after putting the Caps on the board, but he said it didn’t matter who scored, so long as it was somebody wearing a red sweater.

Emotional rescue

“I was emotional when Devo scored, too,” the big Russian said about Devante Smith-Pelly’s goal with six minutes to play that sealed the Knights’ fate. “It doesn’t matter who scores. It’s important, and it gives us confidence, and gives (us) a little room to breathe.”

Washington coach Barry Trotz is breathing free and easy thanks to the example Ovechkin has set in the past two games. He started fast, he scored in both, the Capitals won both. Probably not a coincidence, said the man behind the Washington bench.

“As a coach you want your top players to set the tone,” Trotz said. “He did. He set the tone with intensity, with physicality. Obviously he scored our first goal, but he did all the details. He blocked shots. He got pucks out (of the defensive zone). He did all the details along with what he does. He scores at a massive rate.

“You add all those things to his game, and you’ve got a whole team that is going to follow that.”

You add all those things up, and you’ve got the Capitals leading the series 2-1.

The Knights may want to consider borrowing Lynda Carter’s lasso of truth. It’s time to tie up Alex Ovechkin and his suddenly surging teammates before this deficit becomes a burden.

Benjamin Hager Las Vegas Review-Journal @benjaminhphoto Washington’s Alex Ovechkin is thwarted by Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in the first period, but the Caps win Game 3 3-1 to take a 2-1 series lead.