Caps complete historic comeback
Washington first to win series after losing first two games at home in OT
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Alex Ovechkin scored twice and Braden Holtby made 35 saves as the Washington Capitals advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 6-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets Monday in Game 6.
The Capitals will face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round of the playoffs for a third straight year. The Penguins won in each of the last two years on the way to winning consecutive Stanley Cup championships.
Chandler Stephenson had a goal and an assist, and Dmitry Orlov, Devante Smith-Pelly and Lars Eller also tallied for Washington, which never trailed in the game after prevailing in overtime Saturday in Game 5.
Nick Foligno had two goals, PierreLuc Dubois also scored and Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 22 saves for the Blue Jackets, who lost in the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season and fourth time overall. They remain the only active NHL franchise never to win a playoff series.
Washington won four straight games after going down 2-0 at home with both games decided in overtime.
The Capitals struck first again Monday night.
Shortly after Holtby held off a Columbus barrage, Orlov got his first goal of the series when he skated into the slot and rifled a slapshot over Bobrovsky’s glove side with 7:48 left in the first.
Foligno got his first of the playoffs halfway through the second when he snapped a shot past Holtby from the right circle. That came soon after the Blue Jackets survived overlapping penalties, including 32 seconds of a 5-on-3.
Ovechkin put back a rebound of a shot by Brooks Orpik to make it 2-1 with 7:10 left in the second, the 50th playoff goal of the Russian star’s career. He then gave the Caps a twogoal lead with a one-timer from the left circle on a power play.
The Blue Jackets tightened it to 3-2 early in the third after Matt Calvert shovelled a pass out to Dubois, who connected from the right circle.
But Smith-Pelly restored the Capitals’ two-goal lead 91 seconds later when he broke away and lifted a shot over Bobrovsky’s glove. Stevenson got a short-handed goal 94 seconds later to pad it.
Foligno got the Blue Jackets to 5-3 at 8:22 in the third, but Columbus couldn’t get closer. Eller added an empty-net goal with 14 seconds left.
NOTES: Washington is the first team in NHL history to win a playoff series after losing each of the first two games at home in overtime ... The Blue Jackets were 0-for-16 on the power play going back to overtime in Game 2 ... Washington again kept Artemi Panarin off the scoresheet after he had two goals and five assists in the first three games ... Columbus switched up its bottom three lines, moving Calvert — who had three goals in the series — up from the third to the second. But the lines were switched up again soon after faceoff ... The Blue Jackets are 2-8 at home in four playoff appearances.