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Nicklas Backstrom and second line powers Capitals to 3-2 series lead

After a disastrous play by Alex Ovechkin midway through the first period led to a shorthanded goal against, the Washington Capitals were on their heels once again in Game Five of this first-round playoff series against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Later, after being outshot 16-1 in the final frame of regulation, things looked dire for Washington, with the team possibly headed to Columbus on the brink of elimination. In a series full of missteps, the Capitals had blown the lead four of the five games.

Nicklas Backstrom, joined by other veterans, had a word with the team before overtime, the fourth time this series has required at least one extra period.

“We had to be better,” Backstrom said of his message to the team.

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This stupid, lovable team: Caps beat Blue Jackets 4-3!

Game Five was chaos. It had everything you “want” in a Caps playoff game: inscrutable penalties and non-calls, improbable and undeserved goals, two blown leads, and yet another long, stupefying offensive lull that made the third period miserable for every fan watching while wearing red. And still, somehow, in defiance of all reason, we once again went to sudden-victory overtime and won it.

Matt Calvert kicked it off in the worst possible way: scoring on a shorthanded chance made possible by Alex Ovechkin’s turnover. Nick Backstrom got a magic puck off David Savard’s skate then Sergei Bobrovsky’s back, nothing but net.

Evgeny Kuznetsov exploited a bad line change to score in the second period, but Matt Calvert got his second of the game on a breakaway soon after. Penalties flourished on both sides after that, but only the Caps exploited it, with TJ Oshie tipping in John Carlson’s shot from the point to put the Caps up 3-2 after 40 minutes.

Early in the third, Oliver Bjorkstrand tied it with a deflection after a failed clear. The Blue Jackets had the puck for pretty much all of the rest of regulation time, but the Caps survived into overtime anyway. There, Nick Backstrom, with a deflection, ended it!

Caps beat Blue Jackets 4-3 in overtime. The Caps lead the series 3-2! I hate this team and what they’re doing to my life!

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By Peter Hassett On April 21, 2018 0 Comment

Caps vs Blue Jackets pregame: Best of three (Game Five)

Tied at two wins apiece, the Capitals and Blue Jackets return to Washington for a tremendously important afternooner.

Can the Caps play a fifth as good as their fourth? How will Tortorella adjust to his team’s down performance at home? Can Braden Holtby continue his surprising resurgence? What will Tom Wilson get penalized for this time?

All these questions and more will be answered at 3 PM on NBC. I’m Peter, and I’ll be your recap host for the day. (more…)

By Peter Hassett On April 21, 2018 0 Comment