Great Eight back in fight as Capitals hold off Pens
WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin looked like he was running on fumes. His normally mop-top hair looked more dishevelled than usual, with the sprinkled grey strands especially noticeable. As he addressed the media, the moribund tone of his voice reeked of exhaustion. The deep wrinkles suggested a player worn out from the rigours of eight months of hockey.
It was Friday morning at the Kettler Iceplex and the Washington Capitals had just finished their hour-long practice, all the while knowing that the only way their season could be saved would be with three consecutive victories. The rival Pittsburgh Penguins had a 3-1 lead in this best-of-seven second-round series, leaving the Caps to deal with all those age-old clichés like “there’s no tomorrow” and “backs against the wall.”
“It’s a position you don’t want to be, obviously, but at the same time, you have to fight through it,” Ovechkin said at the time. “I think it’s a huge test for us. I think we’re going to take this test and we’ll see what’s going to happen. Obviously, we’re going to fight through it and we’re going to do our best.”
Truth be told, Ovechkin hardly looked like there was much “fight” left in the Great Eight.
One day later, he proved that looks can be deceiving.
Watching Ovechkin lead his Capitals to a 3-1 victory in Game 5 at the Verizon Center on Saturday night, one question came to mind: Was this energetic, at times dominant player wearing No. 8 in Washington red the same Ovechkin who seemed to be so down, so fatigued, so disheartened just 24 hours earlier?
Indeed it was. But that’s what leaders do — show up when everything is on the line.
Just 244 seconds after the opening faceoff, there was Ovechkin, unleashing one of his patented sizzling one-timers that Penguins goalie Matt Murray still hasn’t seen, a power play marker that gave the hosts a 1-0 lead.
After Chris Kunitz had tied the game 1-1 later in the first, Ovechkin was at it again at 4:00 of the second period. This time, Murray stopped Ovechkin’s power play missile, but T.J. Oshie was in perfect position to gobble up the rebound and drain the two-foot putt to put the Caps up 2-1.
Almost five minutes later, Penguins defenceman Brian Dumoulin made a huge gaffe, passing the puck directly into the slot to Justin Williams, whose snap shot squeezed through Murray’s five hole to widen the gap to 3-1.
While Murray arguably played his shakiest game of these playoffs, Capitals goalie Braden Holtby was outstanding. Having been outplayed for much of the series by the Penguins rookie puckstopper, Holtby was a difference maker on this night, looking every bit the Vezina Trophy front-runner he is.
Murray’s wobbly performance will certainly bring up speculation about the possibility of Penguins coach Mike Sullivan turning to veteran Marc-Andre Fleury, who has not played in more than a month due to a concussion.
Fleury had been through the playoff wars time and time again. But Murray has shown remarkable poise in going 6-2 in these playoffs and certainly deserves another chance in Game 6, which goes Tuesday at Pittsburgh’s CONSOL Energy Center.
Then again, when Ovechkin and Holtby play like this, it’s tough for anyone to beat them.