Neuvirth wins playoff debut
The Capitals had seen this movie before. It was a horror flick.
Washington had more shots, more hits, more blocks and more quality scoring chances than the New York Rangers in Game 1 of a first-round Stanley Cup playoff series on Wednesday night. But the Caps still found themselves trailing late in regulation.
Memories of last spring’s frustrating postseason loss to Montreal were difficult to escape. But this time Washington decided to write a different ending – at least for the series’ first contest – when Alex Ovechkin scored late to tie the contest and Alex Semin lifted his club to a 2-1 victory with a goal at 18:24 of overtime.
Ovechkin’s game-tying tally came with just 6:16 to play after jamming a loose puck past Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (31 saves) to tie the game at 1. The referees needed video replay to confirm the goal was good. But that eventually sent the game to overtime, setting up Semin’s heroics after a turnover by New York defenseman Marc Staal and a quick feed from teammate Jason Arnott. Semin drifted into a wide-open slot and rifled his shot past Lundqvist and into the top-left corner of the net. It was his first playoff goal since Game 7 of a first-round series against New York in 2009 – a drought of 14 postseason games.
| Caps notes |
| Washington is now scoreless in its last 20 power-play attempts in the postseason dating back to last year’s first-round series loss to Montreal. |
| Alex Ovechkin scored the Caps’ last power-play goal in the postseason – a first-period tally against the Canadiens last April 21 in Game 4 of that series. |
| The Caps are now 1-for-35 overall with the man advantage in their last eight Stanley Cup playoff contests. |
“I feel great. We won the game. That’s the most important thing,” Semin said through translator Slava Malamud. He later added “I just saw the puck get intercepted. It’s just a situational play. I tried to get open and shoot as soon [as] possible because the defenseman was right there.”
The Caps started strong. They outshot New York just 9 to 5 in the first period, but generated plenty of scoring chances. Semin rang Lundqvist’s crossbar and 17 seconds later Arnott did the same. Both Mike Knuble and Ovechkin whiffed on cross-ice passes while at the doorstep left of Lundqvist’s crease. Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson, meanwhile, couldn’t quite connect on a flurry in front with the open net yawning.
Washington also failed to score on its two power-play chances. Add in a half-dozen big hits, including boomers from Ovechkin, Arnott and defenseman John Erskine, and the Caps controlled the period. But they also didn’t have the lead, an all-too-familiar scenario last spring against Montreal in an upset first-round loss. That’s what made Ovechkin’s goal so crucial.
“I was pleased that we got a goal,” Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said. “I really didn’t know at one point whether there was ever going to be a way to beat [Lundqvist]. But sometimes you need a greasy goal like that to spark your team.”
The second period had featured more of the same. The Caps finished with 17 shots on goal to New York’s 11. Knuble hit the post for a third time and Backstrom overskated the juicy rebound in front. Semin had a breakaway, but was caught and shouldered aside by New York defenseman Michael Sauer at the last moment. Lundqvist then made a fine stop on a similar breakaway by Backstrom. Late in the period Johansson hit Jason Chimera with a cross-ice pass on the right wing only to see the ensuing shot sail high and harmlessly over the net. So the game remained scoreless after two periods. It would take almost 40 more hard minutes for the Caps to escape with a win.
“I wouldn’t say we proved anything,” Washington defenseman Mike Green said. “Our game needed to change to start the season and the game we played tonight was what we were preparing for all year. It just paid off. [The Rangers] played a great game. It’s just lucky we have Alexander Semin to score a nice goal.”
