Lightning 4, Caps 3
That should just about do it. The Caps had a 3-2 lead in the third period at Tampa Bay and within 24 seconds found themselves behind by a goal. The end looked much the same as last spring’s Game 7 against Montreal – rushed shots, no semblance of a coherent attack and yes, even hints of panic. Their own coach admitted as much after the game. Washington managed just five shots in the third period and so finds itself down 3-0 to the Lightning in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Three teams in NHL history – including the Philadelphia Flyers last season against the Boston Bruins – have overcome that deficit. History is most definitely not on their side.
Alex Ovechkin had a goal and an assist, but just didn’t get enough help tonight other than from his goalie. Michal Neuvirth finished with 26 saves and almost single-handedly gave the Caps a chance to tie the game late with one big save after another in the final 10 minutes. With the goalie pulled a couple of icings kept the puck in the offensive zone, but maybe the last best chance – an Alex Semin wrister off a faceoff win – went wide in the final minute and Tampa Bay held on.
The Caps have been terrible in the third period this entire series. Hard to figure why. They spent much of the season exceling in those situations. But it just isn’t working right now. The Lightning took control of the game early in the third when Washington sat back too much. The Caps also had five shots in the third period in Game 2 on Sunday and five in the third period of Game 1. And now they are clearly at the breaking point.
“We just gave [the Lightning] lifelines. We played the game we want to play coming out, played really well,” Mike Knuble told reporters in Tampa Bay afterwards. “They score, we end up coming back and playing with a lead and it’s just – we give them a lifeline when it’s 2-1, let them come 2-2, go up 3-2, give them another lifeline. It’s like they’re uncanny when they want to get a goal. It’s like they just snap their fingers or hit a button. They just dial it up. You see, it’s like they’re flipping a switch. When they’re down they’re just like, they know they’re going to score. I don’t know what it is. It leaves you flabbergasted. You don’t know what to say about it.”
An extra man on the ice during a power play negated a Knuble goal in the first period. That was Alex Semin jumping on too early. There were numerous defensive breakdowns, too. Jeff Schultz, Scott Hannan and John Erskine all had moments to forget throughout the game. Mike Green took just one shift in the third period thanks to a lower-body injury, Boudreau told reporters in Tampa Bay after the game. That put far too much of the burden on John Carlson – who did score a big goal in the second period – and Karl Alzner. Even that duo had some iffy moments, but also had a combined 10 shots on goal.
Boudreau called out forward Eric Fehr on Tampa Bay’s game-tying goal – a turnover that led to a wicked Steven Stamkos shot in the top left corner. Neuvirth had no chance. But to be fair to Fehr – sorry – the other two forwards had abandoned him and Scott Hannan had a pretty weak pass up the boards in the first place. Still, have to get the puck out some how, some way. The Lightning’s first goal came on a similar turnover. Brooks Laich lost the puck in the neutral zone, Erskine stepped into Steve Downie at the blueline, but the puck slipped past him for an easy 2-on-1. So what happened?
“Just defensive plays — it seems like we have a lapse during a game of certain minutes and they capitalized on it,” Jason Arnott said. “We’re not going to go too far — we’ve got to learn how to play 60 minutes solid defensively and not give up odd-man rushes and especially back-to-back goals like that. When they get a goal, we have to be even more prepared to go out and have a big shift after that.”
No time to figure things out. Game 4 is in less than 24 hours and the Lightning will be ready to finish off Washington with the sweep at home. Can they recover in time? No choice. Because yet another spring meltdown is at hand leaving plenty of questions heading into the offseason.
“It is a situation where they have two chances and they score on two chances,” Ovechkin said. “Again, I think we dominate them all game — simple as that. They just score on their chances. They play solid game in defense and [goalie Dwayne] Roloson play again great. But it is not over. It is what it is. We’re going to fight and we’re going to win.”
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