Caps make some noise, stay alive
Kuznetsov, Ovechkin score 27 seconds apart to turn back Penguins
It was quiet in the Washington Capitals’ locker room during the second intermission as they stared down the prospect of the end of their season and last best chance at a Stanley Cup potentially being 20 minutes away.
A few minutes into the third period, the players made their home rink very, very loud.
Nicklas Backstrom changed the course of the game with the tying goal and Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin scored 27 seconds apart as the Capitals came back to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 in Game 5 Saturday night to avoid elimination.
As Sidney Crosby gave the Penguins a boost with a return from his latest concussion, Braden Holtby had his strongest performance of the season, stopping 20 shots to help force a Game 6 back in Pittsburgh on Monday night.
“After second: “No panic, nobody talk a lot because everybody concentrate and that’s what we need,” Ovechkin said. “You see how we respond.”
Trailing a Pittsburgh team that went 37-1-1 in the regular season and 6-0 in the playoffs when up after two periods, the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Capitals finally responded like the Cup contenders everyone thought they should be.
With the slogan “Own the big moments” a reminder of how they didn’t do so a year ago in their second-round loss to the Penguins, Washington’s best players came to play when the moment was its biggest. The three thirdperiod goals came on five shots over a span of 5:02, including Kuznetsov’s goal from a super-sharp angle.
Senators 5, Rangers 4: Kyle Turris capped Ottawa’s comeback from two deficits and pulled the Senators one win from returning to the Eastern Conference final for the first time in 10 years.
Turris scored 6:28 into overtime to lift Ottawa to a victory over New York for a 3-2 lead in their secondround series.
Derick Brassard tied the score with 1:26 left in the third period for Ottawa, which trailed 2-0 just 51⁄2 minutes into the game and 4-3 with 7:12 remaining.
Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman and Tom Pyatt also scored and Craig Anderson stopped 29 shots to help Ottawa get its fifth overtime win of the postseason, including a double-overtime victory here against the Rangers in Game 2.
Jesper Fast, Nick Holden, Ryan McDonagh and Jimmy Vesey scored for the Rangers, and Henrik Lundqvist had 32 saves.
Ducks 4, Oilers 3: Corey Perry scored 6:57 into the second overtime after Anaheim rallied in the final minutes of regulation late Friday to seize a 3-2 lead in their playoff series. Rickard Rakell scored the tying goal with 15 seconds left.