The Capitals eliminated the Flyers with a 1-0 victory in Game 6 on Sunday in Philadelphia, avoiding what would’ve been a sixth consecutive stress-filled Game 7 and giving players an extra few days to prepare for a second-round date with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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The Capitals completed a 4-2 win in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series and set up a meeting with the Pittsburgh Penguins that will pit Capitals star Alex Ovechkin against the Penguins’ Sydney Crosby.
“They had five even-strength shots all game”, Trotz said.
It certainly wasn’t an offensive pummeling that we’re used to seeing Washington deliver.
The sculptor was practically shaping a bronze cast of Michal Neuvirth, ready to immortalize him somewhere on Broad Street in South Philadelphia for his out-of-body playoff performance. Neuvirth made 75 games in the previous two games after relieving Steve Mason to start Game 4.
Braden Holtby stopped 26 shots for the shutout.
Alan Quine scored a slap shot 16 minutes into the second period of overtime after Frans Nielsen’s opener and third goal of the series for the Islanders was cancelled out by Aleksander Barkov for the Panthers. Only problem, it was Philly’s Chris VandeVelde who chopped White in the face. However, the 2010 Flyers launched their comeback following a crushing 4-1 defeat in Game 3 at home, much in the same way that this year’s team found life following an embarrassing 6-1 Game 3 loss in front of their fans.
The hockey gods can be as benevolent as they are vengeful.
Against the Flyers, it was just enough, though. This appeared to be the momentum swing the Capitals needed. “But, as I said, the advantage went to them and their penalty kill”. You put the puck to the net, sometimes, it goes in. Marcus Johansson gave Backstrom a swede-to-swede pass on the goal.
The Capitals would get the first goal of the game on the dying seconds of their power play.
“We came back from 3-0 to make it a competitive series, and you know, I’m proud of the team and we’ll get em next year”, said Shayna from Phoenixville, who says the team showed a lot of heart after Ed Snider died. “I don’t think I could have stopped it”.
The Presidents’ Trophy winners held a three-game lead and were in position to close out its first sweep of an opponent in a best-of-seven series in franchise history on Monday. The team was exhausted and frustrated. “So it is good experience for them. They played tight defensively and when you get a chance, you’ve got to beat Holtby”. “We made a play and (Backstrom) scored a huge one. Our focus is on our game and what we need to do”. He was outstanding in the end of the period. It was also his second shut out in the series. Washington lost back-to-back games in regulation for the first time all season. “At one point we were eight points off. And we really started playing the way we wanted to”. “It was unfortunate we didn’t get that going”.
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Joe Pavelski added a goal – his fifth of the series – at 12:24 of the third as the Sharks advanced to the second round, where they meets Anaheim or Nashville.
