Capitals hope home-ice struggles can melt away
AUTO RACING: NASCAR eliminated the mandate that Cup teams must start a race on the tires they used in qualifying. The rule was intended to be a cost-saving measure but was reversed to prevent teams that fail to make a qualifying lap from having an advantage . ... NASCAR docked Kyle Larson 20 points and suspended crew chief Chad Johnston for two races for a rear window that failed to remain rigid for the entire Cup race Saturday night at Kansas Speedway.
COLLEGES: Alabama and Texas agreed to play a home-and-home football series in 2022 and 2023. Because of this agreement, Texas and Ohio State moved their previously scheduled home-and-home series back to 2025 and 2026 . ... Former Georgia QB Andy Johnson died after a long illness. He was 65. As a sophomore in 1971, Johnson led the Bulldogs to an 11-1 record that included a Gator Bowl victory. Johnson started two more seasons and finished his college career with 1,799 rushing yards, the most by a quarterback at that time. He went on to play 94 games in the NFL . ... Former SEC commissioner Mike Slive, who led the league to unprecedented success both on and off the field and managed its growth from a regional conference to national giant during his 13-year tenure, died after a long illness. He was 77. Slive retired in July 2015.
GOLF: Krista Glover, the wife of former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, called 911 to claim she was attacked by her mother-inlaw before hanging up, according to a tape of the call that provided another bizarre twist in the wife’s arrest last weekend on a domestic violence charge. Glover answered the phone when the St. John’s Sheriff’s Office in Florida called back and said his wife was lying.
NBA: The Bucks will hire Mike Budenholzer as their next coach, ESPN reported. Budenholzer, 48, who parted ways with the Hawks last month, agreed in principle to a four-year contract. Financial terms of the deal weren’t available.
NFL: The Bills will retire Hall of Fame RB Thurman Thomas’ No. 34 jersey Oct. 29 when they host the Patriots. Thomas will become the third Bills player to have his number retired, joining QB Jim Kelly and DE Bruce Smith . ... League owners will vote on a proposal next week at their meetings that will make all player ejections subject to replay review . ... Free-agent CB Bashaud Breeland visited the Colts and will visit the Cardinals on Thursday, ESPN reported. Breeland, 26, suffered an offseason foot injury in March that nullified his $24 million deal with the Panthers.
SOCCER: Antoine Griezmann scored twice to lead Atletico Madrid to a 3-0 win over Marseille in the Europa League in Lyon, France. Gabi added another goal in the 89th minute for Atletico, which claimed its third Europa title . ... Everton fired Sam Allardyce as manager after just seven months. Allardyce joined the club in late Novemeber when it was near the relegation zone in the English Premier League. It finished eighth . ... Former England international and Huddersfield left back Ray Wilson died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 83. Wilson made 63 appearances for England during the 1960s and was a starter on the 1968 World Cup championship team.
WASHINGTON — The good news for Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals is that they still lead the Eastern Conference finals against the Lightning.
The bad news for the Capitals, counterintuitive as it may seem to be: They host Game 4.
So far this postseason the Capitals are 7-1 away from home, closing out both of their first two series on the road. Heading into Thursday night, they are only 3-4 in their own arena.
The latest setback was a 4-2 loss to the Lightning on Tuesday after victories in Tampa Bay by a combined score of 10-4 in the series’ first two games.
Ovechkin simply shrugged when asked about that discrepancy.
“We don’t think about it,” the three-time NHL MVP said. “We just play our game.”
Others
“We can take a few things that we’ve done on the road and put it into our home game,” goalie Braden Holtby said. “Simpler play (and a) more gritty style.
“It’s easier to play on the road. Any team would say that because you’re not focused on the excitement of your fans. They bring you energy in good ways, but you need to stay realistic and play your game.”
Asked how his club could fare better at home, Capitals coach Barry Trotz said: “Just play the way we do on the road. We’re invested there. We’re playing with real good focus.
“I didn’t think we were as focused (Tuesday) as we were less dismissive. have been normally on the road, so just pretend (we’re) on the road. All the buildings are pretty well the same these days.”
Trotz notices a difference in his players’ attitude on home ice, saying: “It’s us against the world when we’re on the road.”
There is a leaguewide trend here: Road teams are 38-34 in these playoffs. So much for any supposed home-ice advantage, right?
“At this time of the year there are more distractions than in the regular season,” Lightning forward Steven Stamkos said. “A lot of people have friends and family coming down and (are receiving) ticket requests. Sometimes there’s that added pressure of playing at home and wanting to obviously do good things in front of your fans.
“(But) there’s something to be said (for) winning on the road, when you can kind of hear a pin drop in the crowd sometimes, which is always a good thing.”
Only five teams in the 31-team NHL had more regular-season victories at home than the Capitals’ 28 — and that total represents seven more wins than they managed on the road.
So what is going on in the playoffs?
“I don’t really have an explanation for it,” defenseman Brooks Orpik said. “When we go on the road, I think we feel a bit more relaxed, and when we do make mistakes we don’t let the groaning affect us.
“That being said, we should be mentally stronger to not let that affect us (at home).” AP