But the season continues nonetheless.
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Jared Spurgeon scored two of Minnesota’s four third-period goals and the Wild came within a fraction of an inch of tying it with 34 seconds remaining when Nino Niederreiter whacked at a loose puck in the crease. To win two games against the heavily favored Capitals and stay with them in Game 3 is a huge accomplishment. The emotions of the game, and the tension from the Flyers’ consistently rough playing style during game three, erupted into a line brawl in the final few minutes of the game. Ovi doesn’t want his team’s spotty history in Game 5s to come back to bite the Capitals in the ass.
You can thank Michal Neuvirth for it.
In 2014, Michal Neuvirth was traded from Washington to Buffalo because the Capitals thought Braden Holtby was their goalie of the future.
The Capitals had been in position to win the series in Game 4, owing to their victories in each of the first three games – a first in franchise history. Instead, it’ll go down on the right side of the ledger.
It took the Capitals much longer than they intended, but they have eliminated the Flyers from the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs with a 1-0 win in Game 6. Alex Ovechkin, the league’s reigning goal scoring leader, fired at will, only to have his shot attempts blocked by Flyers defenseman sacrificing their bodies.
Special teams proved crucial for the Capitals and eventually were one of the downfalls for the Flyers.
After Neuvirth shut out the Caps with a 44-save effort in Game 5 and made several big saves during a 12-save first period in the first period of Game 6, it was beginning to feel like Washington may never figure out the Flyers goalie.
“It was 3 on 2 and a good pass and a unbelievable shot”, said Neuvirth after the game. And yet, the Flyers still somehow held the lead. “It doesn’t go by shots”.
The Flyers came out at least a little bit better in the third. “It’s probably pretty rare that you lose a game when you out-shoot them four-to-one”.
That goal ended a frustrating spell for the Capitals.
Karl Alzner and John Carlson led all defensemen with five shots on goal apiece.
After getting a game off for a suspension, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare looked energized at the morning skate. Chimera was given a two minute minor for boarding. They also didn’t fight back or take any calls that could have cost them their power play. The Flyers started the season off shaky, but over the course of their rocky season, they pulled together as a young and inexperienced team to make it into the playoffs in the final week of regular season. Not only did they take their foot off the gas nearly entirely – they couldn’t manage to get moving again afterwards. “It’s playoff hockey, so it’s a lot of fun”. That’s hockey. As the Caps learned in 2010 when they were also in the postseason as President’s Trophy winners, a hot goaltender can kill you. See you on Sunday. That year, too, they took control of a first-round series against a No. 8 seed.
Along the way, there were acts of physicality to keep the game interesting. This entire game was bad at evens. He’s gonna have to do it again tonight.
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Overall, the Flyers’ leaders let them down.
