Lecavalier’s goal in OT gives Lightning 3-2 victory They are never out of a game. But sometimes even a little late magic is not enough to save the Capitals.
Trailing by a goal to the Tampa Bay Lightning and about to lose the first two games of this Eastern Conference semifinal at home, Washington received a dramatic goal exactly when it needed it most. With goalie Michal Neuvirth pulled for the extra attacker, star left wing Alex Ovechkin banged home the game-tying goal in Game 2 with just 1:08 to play on Sunday night.
But that joy was short-lived. Lightning center Vincent Lecavalier popped home the game winner at 6:19 of overtime — his second goal of the game — after a poor line change led to a 2-on-1 break with teammate Teddy Purcell. That lifted Tampa Bay to a 3-2 victory at Verizon Center. The Caps trail this best-of-seven series 2-0 with Games 3 and 4 set for Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday and Wednesday.
| CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS |
| Capitals vs. Lightning |
| (Tampa Bay leads series 2-0) |
| Game 1 » TB 4, WAS 2 |
| Game 2 » TB 3, WAS 2 (OT) |
| Game 3 » Tue. at TB, 6:30 p.m. |
| Game 4 » Wed. at TB, 7 p.m. |
| Game 5 » Sat. at WAS, 12:30 p.m.* |
| Game 6 » May 9 at TB, TBA* |
| Game 7 » May 11 at WAS, TBA* |
| Caps notes |
| » Washington last trailed a series 2-0 to the New York Rangers in the first round of the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Caps lost both games at home but still rallied to win in seven games. |
| » Caps forward Mike Knuble — out two weeks with what was believed to be an injured right hand — played for the first time since Game 3 of the first round. |
| » Washington forward Matt Hendricks was a healthy scratch for the first time this postseason to make room for Knuble. |
“It’s a tough loss, but give them credit,” Caps forward Brooks Laich said. “They capitalized on their opportunities and on our mistakes. Down 2-0, but we’ve been in this position before, and we’ve come back.”
Washington failed to score six times with the man advantage — granted that was thanks in part to some fine saves from Lightning goalie Dwayne Roloson (35 saves). Its power play is now an abysmal 4-for-60 in the postseason since last spring’s playoff series against Montreal.
“We had the guys that are very highly skilled and have been on power plays their whole life and know what to do when we go out there,” forward Mike Knuble said. “At times we were doing the right things. At times we weren’t. It was ugly at times. But it’s just finding a loose puck and getting one in.”
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, converted on its second power-play opportunity. After a lengthy stretch in the offensive zone, Martin St. Louis found Lecavalier for a one-timer into the top right corner. That staked the Lightning to a 1-0 lead with just 59 seconds left in the first period. It was the second game in a row the Caps allowed a power-play goal in the final minute of a period.
The Lightning managed just three shots in the second period. The Caps generated 16 — one of them a goal by Brooks Laich at 14:52 of the second period to tie the game at 1-1.
But the Lightning put themselves in position to create a lucky break. Purcell stole the puck from Backstrom in the Washington zone, and the puck eventually found its way to St. Louis standing right of Neuvirth’s crease. He tried a cross-ice pass to Lecavalier, but the puck never made it, instead bouncing off the skate of Washington defenseman Mike Green and into the goal at 7:35 of the third period.
It looked like Tampa Bay would hold on for the win. But with Neuvirth on the bench, the Caps kept the puck in the offensive zone several times. Laich — standing behind the goal — reversed a pass to Jason Arnott out front. Arnott tipped another pass to Ovechkin directly in front, and he smashed home the game-tying goal, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
