Holtby makes 44 saves as they even the series
For 264 minutes and 14 seconds, neither the Capitals nor the Boston Bruins have carved themselves better than a one-goal lead in their Stanley Cup playoff series.
The pressure of the postseason only rises in such tight games, in which one mistake can prove fatal — in a game and to a season. That multigoal lead never materialized during Thursday’s Game 4 at Verizon Center, but Washington managed to secure a critical win anyway 2-1 over the Bruins.
The Caps tied the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series at 2-2 as the two teams travel to TD Garden in Boston for Game 5 and ensured that no matter what happens there will be at least one more hockey game in the District this season. Win or lose on Saturday, Game 6 is scheduled for Sunday at a time to be determined.
Marcus Johansson and Alexander Semin both scored for Washington, and goalie Braden Holtby stood tall in his net with 44 saves on 45 shots. It was another sparkling performance for the rookie.
The first period was all Boston — and yet the Caps were disappointed and thrilled to be tied at 1-1. For the third time in this series they scored first and couldn’t extend the advantage. The Bruins outshot them 14-3 in the first, and Washington’s lone power play was as ugly as anything seen all season without a single shot on goal.
And yet they took the lead again just 82 seconds into the game when a turn by defenseman Zdeno Chara in the neutral zone — forced in part by a diving Alex Ovechkin — led to a two-on-one rush. Brooks Laich waited patiently and after a couple of quick fakes, he found Johansson on the right wing. Johansson had more than enough time to roof a shot into Tim Thomas’ net for the 1-0 lead.
But Boston dominated possession for the rest of the period, peppering Holtby with shots of faceoff wins. Finally, an ill-advised turnover by Ovechkin and a risky pinch into the offensive zone by Dennis Wideman led to a two-on-one for Boston with rusty defenseman John Erskine the lone man back. Peverley, the man who took the cross-check that landed Nicklas Backstrom a one-game suspension, caught Holtby by surprise with his right-wing shot, slipping the puck between his legs to tie the game at 13:12 of the first.
But Washington gradually grew more comfortable in the second period. It had 15 shots at least — though Boston took another 18. The Caps also drew two more penalties. During the first they generated one scoring chance after another — Laich’s deflected shot slammed off the cross bar, Wideman’s back-door look sailed just high and Ovechkin whiffed on a back-door pass at the left doorstep.
But the second time around they actually executed when Semin, standing in front of Chara at the left faceoff circle, simply ripped a shot into the top-right corner. Thomas had no chance, and that goal put Washington ahead 2-1 with 77 seconds left in the period.
“I don’t know [how many NHL players] can hit that shot,” Laich said. “I’m just glad that we have one that can.”
