Trying not to repeat it is the task for Game 5
One year ago the Capitals went into Game 5 against the Montreal Canadiens in complete control of their Stanley Cup playoff conference quarterfinal series. Within six days the season was over.
Washington’s players are well aware of the similarities to this year’s matchup with the New York Rangers. After a dramatic 4-3 double overtime win at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, the Caps return home to Verizon Center for Saturday’s Game 5 with a 3-1 lead and another opportunity to end a postseason series early.
| Caps notes |
| » Washington forward Mike Knuble is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, and his status for Saturday’s Game 5 against the New York Rangers won’t be determined until that day. |
| » Knuble was hit in the right hand by a Mike Green shot during Game 3 on Sunday moments before scoring the game-tying goal in the third period. He skated in full gear during an optional practice Thursday morning. |
| » Caps defenseman Dennis Wideman spoke to the media for the first time since being released from the hospital April 11. He was injured March 29 in a game against Carolina after suffering a right leg hematoma and complications from compartment syndrome. Wideman hopes to return to practice by the end of next week. |
| East quarterfinals |
| Caps vs. Rangers |
| (Washington leads series 3-1) |
| Game 1 » WAS 2, NYR 1 (OT) |
| Game 2 » WAS 2, NYR 0 |
| Game 3 » NYR 3, WAS 2 |
| Game 4 » WAS 4, NYR 3 (2OT) |
| Game 5 » Saturday at WAS, 3 |
| Game 6 » Monday at NYR, TBD* |
| Game 7 » Wednesday at WAS, TBD* |
| * If necessary; all times p.m. |
Last year they didn’t take advantage. A poor first period of Game 5 allowed the Canadiens to take a 2-0 lead. Montreal’s Mike Cammalleri scored 90 seconds into the game, and Travis Moen beat goalie Semyon Varlamov just 5:31 later from a bad angle on the left wing. Washington fought back with an Alex Ovechkin goal but couldn’t push another one past goalie Jaroslav Halak in a 2-1 loss. That led to a nightmarish Game 6 at Bell Centre, where the suddenly confident Halak was unbeatable, finishing with 53 saves and sending the series back to the District for Game?7 with the Canadiens holding all the momentum. There they finished off the shocking upset of the Caps, who had the NHL’s best record during the regular season.
“I guess it’s a great chance for us,” Washington forward Mike Knuble said. “You talk about vindication and recovering from the season before, and now you’re in the same situation again, and what are you going to do about it?”
The Caps have long maintained that their trip back from Montreal after Game 4 last spring — a 6-3 victory on April 21 — at least contributed to that bad first period. The plane couldn’t land at either D.C.-area airport — Reagan National or Dulles — thanks to dense fog. That forced the team to land in Baltimore, but customs delays — there were no officers on duty at BWI — left them stranded for several hours. By the time players scrambled for rides home, it was almost dawn and the offday practice had to be canceled. Thirty-six hours later they were playing Game 5 and — legitimate excuse or not — didn’t finish the job and eventually paid for it. Now they have another chance.
“I think the key is being ready and if they were looking ahead last year not to look ahead this year,” Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said. “Hopefully it was a great lesson for us. Time will tell.”
