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• Celebrating hockey’s ‘anti-heroes’

Senators write another unlikely twist into playoff story

2013-05-20T14:45:41Z

OTTAWA -- Although it appeared the Ottawa Senators' improbable saga this season might finally be nearing its end Sunday night, instead, the Sens wrote another unlikely chapter to get back in its second-round series with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

With time winding down in regulation and Ottawa trailing 1-0 -- and the Senators' hopes of realistically winning the series likely winding down along with it -- Senators' captain Daniel Alfredsson delivered an unlikely boost for a team that has shown a lot of push back this season despite facing a ton of adversity and sent what had been a nervous crowd at Scotiabank Place into a loud frenzy.

More: Sens coverage at Silver Seven Pens coverage at Pensburgh

After a late slashing penalty was called on Erik Karlsson with Ottawa facing a 1-0 deficit with 1:27 left to play, the mood turned from nervous to gloomy after an apparent high-stick by Matt Cooke on Karlsson wasn't called just a few minutes before. But instead of the Penguins going for the kill, the Pittsburgh sat back with the extra man and the lead, and the team that has earned the nickname "Pesky Sens" during this campaign proved to live up to the moniker.

As the clock wound under 30 seconds left in regulation, Milan Michalek slipped the puck from along the side boards in front of the Penguins cage, where Alfredsson -- left relatively alone in front of Penguins netminder Tomas Vokoun -- and redirected the shot over Vokoun's sholder, and a crowd that had been waiting 59 minutes to cheer a goal erupted.

"When you get a penalty there at the end of the game you don't expect to get much out of it," Senators forward Jason Spezza said. "It was a heck of the play by the guys on the ice, nice finish, and it's a huge goal in the series for us."

"It took us 59 minutes to get a goal, we tied it up and got momentum from the crowd and built off that to try and get some success," Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson said.

Despite yielding the equalizer late in regulation, the Penguins came out determined to try and end the game in overtime, controlled the first extra session, but Anderson didn't yield, making several terrific stops to keep play going.

Eventually, Ottawa finally helped out their goaltender and ended the game 7:39 into the second overtime when Colin Greening knocked in a rebound to create a deafening roar around the building and give new life to a season that appeared to be on life support just over an hour before.

"I thought we battled pretty hard throughout, they're up 1-0, and after that, they make it tough through the neutral zone for us," Alfredsson said of the game. "It looked like they had it wrapped up and we were able to get a big goal shorthanded to get it to overtime, and then both teams had their chances before we got the winner."

The goal led to the Senators' comeback win to cut the Penguins' series lead to 2-1, and Pittsburgh -- less than 30 seconds away from moving to within a game of its first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since the franchise's last Cup in 2009 -- now has to deal with a tough loss in a game that got away.

"You like to think you can hold onto the puck for the last 1:27 with a power play," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma afterwards. "That wasn't the case."

Despite getting a boost from the return of Spezza after a 50-game absence due to surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back suffered against these same Penguins back on Jan. 27, the Senators couldn't solve Vokoun for the first 59 minutes of regulation.

The Senators played their best game of the series, but the Penguins used a pair of bad turnovers late in the second period to generate a Tyler Kennedy goal that gave the Pens a lead that appeared it would hold up and it seemed Pittsburgh would grab a 3-0 lead despite an effort well below what they displayed in two home games to start the series.

But the Alfredsson goal could change the tenor of the series, especially with Spezza back in the lineup and Anderson turning in a much sharperperformance than his two in Pittsburgh.

Now, the series could hinge on Game 4 and how both teams come off the dramatic shift in momentum.

With Spezza back in the lineup, the Senators are certainly a much more potent club and he was effective in generating some opportunities for Ottawa, although his first game in nearly four months left him a bit winded with the extra session.

"I felt all right during the game, during the overtime I felt a little tired."

For the Penguins, dropping a game in that fashion requires a short memory, as the win that was 28.6 seconds from being theirs has to wait at least until Tuesday night in Game 4.

But for one more night, at least, the "Pesky Sens" showed why they have earned that reputation overcoming injury and adversity to reach the second-round of the playoffs.

"Fun," Spezza said, grinning, when asked of taking part in the game." Fun to be a part of. Pretty exciting game."

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• Celebrating hockey’s ‘anti-heroes’

Bruins' late pressure finally breaks Lundqvist, Rangers

2013-05-17T13:06:47Z

The Boston Bruins and New York Rangers were coming off Game 7 wins Monday, so while Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal started off slowly, it eventually built into a more offensive affair, with the bend-but-don't-break tactic for the Blueshirts finally giving way after 95 minutes Thursday night in Boston.

After a rather forgettable first period, the two teams put together an entertaining last 30 minutes of regulation, and overtime mostlyconsisted of the Rangers holding on for dear life, but relying on goaltender Henrik Lundqvist to keep the game going.

It certainly was a game reminicient of the two teams' previous series, as the Rangers spent the early part of the Washington series on their heels and looking for the counter-punch, while the Bruins were pressing late just as they did in their dramatic win over the Maple Leafs Monday.

For the first battle of the two Original 6 franchises since 1973, it certainly took a flair for the dramatic, with the Rangers sandwiching two goals 16 seconds apart around the second intermission, while Johnny Boychuk hit the post with just one-tenth of a second left in regulation.

But in the end, the Rangers were back on their heels for the third period and overtime, outshot 28-14 in that span, not counting several posts Boston hit in that time frame.

Boston was able to use its speed a bit more as the game progressed, generating chances and once again, the Rangers relied on Lundqvist to try and keep them in a game they likely would have been out of well before the end of regulation without his talent. The more the clock wound on, the more the ice tilted the Bruins' way, and it seemed like New York would only be able to steal the game and home-ice would be with a goal off a counterpunch.

But for New York, it never came.

Tuukka Rask was good for Boston, although the two Ranger tallies late in the second and early in the third weren't great goals to give up, but he was able to hold the Rangers off the board with some nice saves of his own.

Of course, Zdeno Chara was a big factor for Boston, not only scoring the Bruins' first goal and an assist on the overtime game-winner, but he also played 38:02 of ice time for a team needing some stability on its blueline. He was able to log some long shifts without much of a drop off, and also poured nine of Boston's 48 shots on Lundqvist.

For the Rangers, Lundqvist continued to be the story, although at some point, for New York to grab another series win, he likely will need a bit more help up front from his teammates. While the Blueshirts were able to overcome Washington's pressure over seven games, at some point, with Boston's speed, New York likely can't expect a repeat with more offensive punch.

A major concern for the Rangers is the continuing struggle of the power-play unit, which is operating at a sputtering 6.4 percent clip, 2-for-31 in eight games so far. Statistically, New York is almost as effective at 5-on-5 as with the extra-man through the postseason, andwith the Rangers averaging just 2.25 goals-per-game, that doesn't give Lundqvist a whole lot of margin for error.

Both teams get two days off before Sunday afternoon's Game 2, and the Rangers will need to get their top guns going sooner or later - particularly with the power play - for them to see if they can pull off another series win.

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Capitals vs. Rangers, Game 7: Henrik Lundqvist helps send Washington packing

2013-05-14T14:26:04Z

After a series of tight contests and good goaltending by both sides in the Capitals vs. Rangers series, in the end, Henrik Lundqvist was the netminder who punched his team's ticket to the next round.

Lundqvist stopped all 35 shots he faced -- although the shot quality dwindled as the game progressed -- and it was becoming evident the goaltender had gotten inside Washington's head, as the Capitals had abandoned the style that had gotten them a 2-0 series lead. Instead of Washington taking shots from the point and looking for deflections past Lundqvist, the Caps were making the extra passes, and playing into the Rangers' hands as they clogged the passing lanes knowing they would try and deliver on the perfect play.

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In the end, the Capitals didn't score in the final 120 minutes of the series, the last goal allowed by the Swedish netminder being Mike Ribeiro's overtime Game winner in Game 5.

In Game 6, he held the Capitals at bay with a flurry at the end, and in Game 7, while the Capitals started strong, Washington's will waned once the Rangers got on the board first. In the end, the last 62 shots the Caps put on net were turned away, and in the process collected his seventh and eighth career playoff shutouts.

Certainly, the Rangers' style of shot-blocking helped frustrate the Capitals, but certainly the goaltending stood up when Washington got some good looks. But the ultimate change of Washington's attack to rely on passing ultimately led to their elimination, and that was in large part to Lundqvist's strong play.

"Down 2-0, I just didn't think we were that far off," Rangers coach John Tortorella told reporters afterwards. "I think a number of people thought down 2-0, you're not going to get this done. It's a tall hill to climb but we just went about our business, tried to take one day at a time. Henrik was, obviously, fantastic through the series and we found a way to get some momentum, win three out of four going into this game and we felt good about it."

For the Capitals, who altered their style under Adam Oates following the team's second-round exit at the hands of the same Rangers, they actually scored one less goal in this seven-game series than last season's. It wasn't for lack of scoring chances, as Washington had some terrific looks, but as the series progressed, the frustration was more evident for the Capitals and it was evident in Game 7.

"I think we did a decent job. He made a lot of great saves," Oates said afterwards. "They protect him. That's kind of how they are designed. We try and get in there and get the shots through and they are very good at it."

Washington was shut out for the first time in back-to-back playoff games in their history, one that certainly has a history of running into hot goaltenders.

The Rangers, who certainly had a disappointing regular-season with big expectations to start the year, now get a chance to move on to face the Bruins - a team they won two of three in the regular season - and a chance to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year.

And, with perhaps the best goaltender left standing in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers certainly look to make up for their own disappointing finish to the playoffs.

"Anything is possible with Henrik [Lundqvist] back there," New York's Ryan McDonagh told reporters. "He stands tall, he competes so hard and it's great to see guys willing to block shots and he really respects that and honors that, and recognizes that. For everybody, it's a good feeling here but we want to continue to roll with it."

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Capitals vs. Rangers: The Holtby-Lundqvist goalie duel pushes series to 7

2013-05-13T13:00:05Z

While Braden Holtby and Henrik Lundqvist were terrific in the second-round playoff meeting between the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals last season, they both have put on an impressive encore in this year's first-round rematch.

The two goaltenders' strong play is even more evident this May, as both have improved their performance in a series that is more wide-open. Both have faced better scoring chances than the shot-blocking fiesta that New York won in seven games last season.

Sunday afternoon in Game 6 at Madison Square Garden, Lundqvist was impressive with the Rangers' season at stake, making 27 saves for his first shutout of the postseason and seventh playoff of his career. While the Capitals made a strong push for the equalizer late in the contest to force overtime, he was able to frustrate the Caps with some nifty saves and give the Rangers a one-game shot to advance to the second round for the second-straight year.

Lundqvist is definitely making an impact on Washington's attack, as the Capitals right now are more likely to make the extra pass to create a nice setup. This tends to be a hallmark of a team that has the opposing goaltender is in their heads a bit.

Instead of putting the pucks on net, the Capitals are looking for that open side and extra room, which isn't usually a successful strategy against a team that blocks shots and clogs the lanes. After Washington was more straightforward in its attack early in the series with shots from the point, the Caps now tend to overpass with the scoring chances they get.

At the other end of the ice, Braden Holtby was impressive in Game 6 as well, making 28 stops. The only shot to dent the twine was a shot that deflected off his own defenseman Steven Olesky nearly halfway through the contest. It was the second game of the series in which the only goal allowed by the 23-year-old Saskatchewan native was one that deflected off of his own blueliners -- the Rangers' lone tally came off of John Erskine's skate in Game 1 -- and Holtby also has one shutout to his credit this series, the overtime win in Game 2.

Holtby kept Washington in the last two games, allowing just a pair of goals. The Rangers pressed for more when staked to a one-goal lead in both games, and the Caps were able to pull out a win in one of the contests in overtime in large part due to their goaltender's strong play when trailing.

Between the two netminders, they have allowed just 23 goals total, the lowest combined output in the Eastern Conference and just one fewer than the St. Louis vs. Los Angeles series out in the West. It's also fewer than last year's series by two goals, when neither goaltender had a shutout to their credit.

This year's series has seen more open ice than last year's edition and better chances. The big difference is that both goaltenders have been at the top of their games and given their team an opportunity to move on.

Struggling stars Alex Ovechkin and Rick Nash both played perhaps their best games of the series Sunday, but it didn't matter much as the netminders mostly took care of anything thrown at them.

Holtby has had the edge in Washington, allowing just two goals in three games for a sparkling 0.61 goals-against average and a .976 save percentage. Lundqvist has stopped 97 of 102 shots and pushed two games the Rangers likely had little chance of winning into overtime with some impressive stops.

Holtby was 1-1 in Game 7s last spring, beating the Bruins but falling to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Lundqvist is 2-1 in Game 7s for his career, winning both over Ottawa and Washington last spring. His lone blemish came at Verizon Center in 2009 where Sergei Fedorov scored late in regulation in a 2-1 Capitals win.

Overall, neither team has been very successful in winner-take-all Game 7s. The Capitals are just 2-6 at home while the Rangers are still looking for their first win on the road in six tries.

It seems appropriate that the two goalies get one more chance for the right to play on, as they both are big reasons why their teams are still playing at the moment. Both have played well enough to get their teams into the second round, but only one of them will get a chance to play there.

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Stanley Cup playoffs: Reeling Capitals right ship, can end series Sunday

2013-05-11T17:54:52Z

After blowing a 2-0 series lead with a pair of losses in New York, the Washington Capitals were taking on water early in their crucial game Friday night in Washington. Badly needing to corral a series that was slipping away from them, they allowed a goal in the first minute and were getting outplayed at home in a game the Capitals desperately needed to have to avoid the tough task of beating the same team twice in back-to-back nights to advance.

Having seen the Rangers turn their desperation in Game 3 into a good performance in Game 4 -- yielding a square series -- the Capitals were flat-footed at the outset, a continuation of Game 4's shifting tide.

But after the first intermission, Washington finally put on display some desperation of their own, and were able to overcome a terrific performance by Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist to take a 3-2 series lead over New York thanks to a solid final two-and-a-half periods, culminating in Mike Ribeiro's overtime goal at the 9:24 mark.

The win was Washington's second overtime goal of the series, and certainly was a game the Capitals had to have with the Rangers playing well on home ice.

After coming out flat in the first period, the Capitals outshot the Rangers 27-15 over the game's last 50 minutes. The turning point in Game 5 seemed to come on Ribeiro drawing an ill-advised slashing penalty by Brian Boyle after an exchange in front of the Rangers cage. Just 11 seconds in to the extra-man advantage, the Capitals had erased the one-goal deficit thanks to some quick puck movement and Joel Ward being in the right spot. And, in the process, they finally got the momentum they had lost somewhere in midtown Manhattan Monday night.

"It's a dumb penalty and you don't kill that off, Rangers coach John Tortorella told reporters afterwards. "He's a guy that's playing well but it's a dumb penalty."

Washington dominated a majority of the remainder of the contest, with the Rangers putting some brief flurries together - most notably early in overtime - but the Capitals kept pressing the Rangers.

"They scored on a power play but for our team it did go downhill [after the first period]," Tortorella said. "We had a couple chances in overtime, third period we didn't have much; that's the way it worked out."

Eventually, Lundqvist finally was beaten when a Karl Alzner shot was deflected by Troy Brouwer over to Ribeiro - in nearly the exact same spot he drew the slashing minor - who beat the fallen Rangers goaltender for the winner. The goal marked a big momentum shift in the series after New York had wrested control of it after Mike Green had put them in a 2-0 hole six days ago in the same spot.

"I felt good right away," Ribeiro said. "Last game I had a bad game in the circle, and a lot of times when you have good games in the circle, your focus is better. You start with the puck, you're not chasing as much. It was important for me to bounce back."

The win was critical for Washington to bounce back since the Rangers have been playing terrific hockey high above the streets of Manhattan, winning eight straight dating back to the regular-season in front of their home fans. Washington also has lost four straight playoff games at Madison Square Garden, dating back to their Game 5 collapse in 2012 last season.

Certainly, the scheduling also gives the series a weird twist, with Game 6 and a potential Game 7 a potential 27 hours apart. The quick turn-around makes it a bit more difficult win back-to-back games on back-to-back nights, so certainly the chance to close out the series is critical.

"We talked about trying to have a better start, which we didn't really have again tonight," Capitals coach Adam Oates told reporters. "Obviously it's going to be their barn, their building, their people. It's going to be electric.

"We've got to handle the first 10 minutes of the game, once we get into the game we're okay. It's good hockey, as you saw tonight, but we've got to have a good start."

The teams' two top players also have been mostly absent the last few games, with Alex Ovechkin seemingly carrying the effects of an Anton Stralman hit early in Game 3, while Rick Nash was a bit too fancy with some chances in overtime and got bowled over deep in the Capitals end.

While Washington didn't win the series Friday night, they very likely kept themselves from losing it. With the momentum having shifted the Rangers' way up north, had they not finished strong Friday, the Caps may never have wrestled it back.

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NHL playoffs: Rangers fight back as mental errors plague Caps

2013-05-09T15:51:51Z

For the first time in their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series, the New York Rangers put forth a strong effort at even-strength and dominated for most of the contest, while the Washington Capitals came unglued with bad mental errors that led to some Ranger tallies, leading to a 4-3 win in Game 4.

With the pair of wins at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers turned the 2-0 deficit in the series into a best-of-three series, with those games coming over the span of just four nights, starting Friday in Washington. And the Rangers have turned in a pair of better efforts than they did on the road, while the Capitals continue to take bad penalties and poor decisions with the puck that are ending up in the back of their cage.

Braden Holtby, who allowed just one goal in the two games in Washington, started off the Capitals' woes with a pair of bad giveaways in the first period, one of which was an ill-advised clear through the middle of the ice - with the boards clear. The puck was knocked down by Taylor Pyatt, who fed Carl Hagelin. John Carlson had the presence of mind to stop in front to block the drive, but Holtby inexplicably slid through the crease and ended up on the other side of the empty net, allowing Brad Richards a chance to bury it without the netminder being in the crease.

Washington eventually fought back in the second period thanks to a goal by Troy Brouwer with just :18 left in the frame, but an overzealous Jason Chimera was called for interference as the period expired for crashing into Henrik Lundqvist.

Although the Caps had talked about taking bad penalties after Game 3, this one turned the momentum back to the Rangers' way, as Dan Girardi blasted a shot past Holtby just 59 seconds into the frame. New York eventually restored the two-goal lead when the Caps were caught scrambling around in their defensive zone, leaving Derek Stepan alone to blast the puck into the gaping cage for the eventual game-winner.

So, after the series shifted north with the Rangers reeling, now the Capitals need to dig in their heels at home or else will face elimination Sundayin a spot where the Rangers have won eight straight games, dating back to the regular season.

Washington's top two lines have largely disappeared in the last two games, with Alex Ovechkin seeming to struggle after an Anton Stralman hit in the first period of Game 3. After recording 12 shots in the first two games of the series, Ovechkin managed only three in the two games at Madison Square Garden, and appeared to be lumbering a bit and the once red-hot star wasn't very sharp.

The dominant forward for the Capitals Wednesday was Joel Ward, who set up Washington's first goal and nearly scored the equalizer late. But the Caps need more from their top forwards as well.

For New York, the trade that sent Marian Gaborik to Columbus paid dividends again, as Derick Brassard had a pair of assists for five points in the two games at MSG, and the Rangers clearly outplayed Washington for the first time in the series with a chance to even the series.

Even though Lundqvist hasn't quite been at his best this series, the Rangers are coming up with timely scoring and creating some power plays as the Caps are taking some ill-advised minors.

And in a short finish to the series, the fact the Rangers are playing better hockey as the series moves on - while the Capitals aren't - certainly seems to indicate this series is New York's to lose after looking like they were in deep trouble just a few days ago.

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