Capitals rip Pens, force Game 7 in East semis
Washington’s Andre Burakovsky scored twice, Nicklas Backstrom got his sixth goal of the playoffs and the Capitals beat the Penguins 5-2 in Pittsburgh on Monday to force a Game 7 in the seesaw Eastern Conference semifinal.
This is the fourth time the two teams will meet in a winner-take-all game. The Penguins have won each of the previous three.
The Capitals say don’t care about the past.
“I haven’t been here forever but, one, I’ve never been in a Game 7,” said Washington forward T.J. Oshie, who opened the scoring with a first-period power-play goal. “Two, I’ve never been past the second round. I know how much it would mean to me and I imagine it would be the same to every guy in this locker room.”
Washington is as close as it has been to its first appearance in the conference finals in 19 years after rallying from a 3-1 series deficit by sprinting by Pittsburgh in the third period at home in Game 5 and then delivering a masterful performance 48 hours later.
A year ago, Washington trailed Pittsburgh 3-1 in the second round, won Game 5 at home only to fall in overtime of Game 6. Intent on not repeating history, the Capitals jumped on the defending Stanley Cup champions early and didn’t relent.
“Since Game 3, we’ve had a sense of calmness about what we’re doing,” Washington head coach Barry Trotz said. “We’re having fun now. The fun part has been the obstacle.”
Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel picked up his playoff-leading ninth goal and Evgeni Malkin added another 52 seconds later late in the third period to make the score look cosmetically better.
“I think we were probably guilty of making a few mistakes early on and then probably chasing our mistakes after that,” said Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby, who had an assist in 20 minutes but was largely a nonfactor in his second game back after missing Game 4 with a concussion. Rangers confident: Though his team trails its East series 3-2, Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault said he believes his team’s experience gives it an edge against the Senators, whom New York hosts Tuesday in a do-or-die game for the Rangers.
“If you’re not nervous, you’re not human,” Vigneault said. “I believe in this group and we’re going to rely on our experience. With experience, you can see things evolving a little quicker, you can focus on the right things, you can play with confidence because you’ve been through it before. They’re going to bring it.”
A 5-4 overtime loss Saturday — after the Senators scored the tying goal with 1:26 left in the third period on a shot that bounced off three Rangers before trickling across the goal line — put New York on the brink of elimination.
“You have to be ready when the puck drops,” New York wing Jesper Fastsaid. “Whatever it takes for you to get ready, whether it’s a hit or making a good play. We have no time to waste right now.” Briefly: St. Louis right wing Vladimir Tarasenko will not play in the World Championships, which are being played in France and Germany, because heis injured and needs surgery, Russia coach Oleg Znarok said. Tarasenko’s agent, Mike Liut, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that more would be known about about Tarasenko’s condition after a medical exam this week. Tarasenko did not miss any games during the regular season or playoffs . ... Islanders captain John Tavares had surgery on his right hand last month, New York’s Newsday reported. The New York center, who had 28 goals and 38 assists to lead the team in scoring, is expected to get his cast off next week, the newspaper reported.