STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND SERIES
Caps 3, Rangers 1
What – Game #5
Where – Verizon Center
When – 3 p.m.
TV – NBC HD
Radio – WFED-1500 AM, WJFK-106.7 FM
Not much left to say. John Tortorella’s pre-game press conference lasted about 90 seconds. His young team is on the brink of elimination with a road game at Verizon Center. Win and the momentum switches hard back to New York. Lose and the year comes to an abrupt end.
“We are ready to play today,” Tortorella said. “Young, old, middle-aged we are ready to play today.”
Bruce Boudreau was a little more expansive. He’s talked in recent days about the lessons learned from last year’s Game 5 debacle against Montreal where a slow start led to a loss and – eventually – to the shocking end of their season. Want more evidence of what happens when a team in control of a series fails to win Game 5 at home? Vancouver is now panic-stricken over the Canucks after their 5-0 curb-stomping at the hands of Chicago. That series went from 3-0 to 3-2 in the blink of an eye. Just this afternoon Pittsburgh – up 3-1 on Tampa Bay – imploded at home. As I write the Penguins are down 5-0 and barring a miracle will need a road win in Game 6 to advance.
So the Caps know how important a fast start – and a win – are this afternoon. No one wants to go back to Madison Square Garden on Monday for Game 6 – save the Rangers, who at this point would relish a practice on Easter Sunday because it means the season continues. So what will make the difference?
“I think in the end it’s going to be who wins more one-on-one battles and like a lot of games who’s going to win the special teams,” Boudreau said. “And then the third thing if you’re going to ask me – after watching the first four games – is who gets the break? Who gets the lucky bounce? That’s the way the series has been going so I assume it’s going to continue going like that.”
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