Washington looks to even series Saturday vs. New York
Tactics are important. Matchups are key. But so much of playoff hockey is mental and when a team falls behind early in a series the pressure always jumps.
A certain level of toughness is needed to keep that stress from seeping into the next game. But an ability to relax helps, too.
Recommended Stories
“[New York] should have had 12 or 13 penalties instead of the seven they had. In my humble opinion, the Mike Green thing [a collision with Sean Avery that led to a Scott Gomez goal] was a penalty. They scored their second goal when they slashed [Shaone] Morrisonn’s stick and broke it. It’s tough for referees to get them all, but I definitely think they got the benefit of it.”
So the sight of the Capitals splitting into two teams at Friday’s practice at Kettler Iceplex for a light-hearted shootout contest was probably a good sign on the eve of Game 2 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the New York Rangers.
“We just try have fun, show our emotion in a different way,” said Caps forward Alex Ovechkin about the event, arranged by coach Bruce Boudreau as a little post-practice entertainment.
When asked if he was feeling the pressure of being down 1-0 in the series — one the No. 2 seeded Caps were favored to win — Ovechkin simply shook his head.
“I’m fourth year here in the league and every day I hear how much I have pressure,” Ovechkin said. “I just enjoy and have a good time.”
That’s about the only attitude the Caps can adopt after Wednesday’s disappointing 4-3 loss. Because thinking about the stakes of Game 2 too much could leave them paralyzed.
So Washington’s players and coaches chose to focus on the positive from the first game. Despite a few glaring defensive miscues — and a handful of soft goals allowed by Jose Theodore — they gave up just 21 shots to New York. Just as important — the power play registered two goals in seven chances against the league’s top penalty-kill unit.
“I thought their forwards did an unreal job. I was in front of the net and there wasn’t much of a lane for our guys to shoot [on the power play],” said Caps forward Brooks Laich. “And their forwards did a great job blocking and that’s not an easy thing to do, either.”
Scoring with the man-advantage is a must because every kill seemed to give the Rangers extra juice. In fact, the game-winning goal in the third period of Game 1 by forward Brandon Dubinsky started just after teammate Markus Naslund exited the penalty box.
“Most teams will run around and then we can get some good passes and some good opportunities,” said Caps defenseman Mike Green, who has a team-high 18 power-play goals. “But the Rangers are patient and when you’re patient then usually it works out. But we found a way to break it and we’ll be fine next game, too.”
The Caps seem unlikely to make any changes at forward. Donald Brashear gave no indication after practice that he’s ready to return from a left knee strain. Chris Clark was assigned to the third line with Michael Nylander, Eric Fehr and Tomas Fleischmann, but hasn’t played in a game since Jan. 27.
Meanwhile, Boudreau again refused to disclose his starting goalie. But his post-practice comments indicated Theodore will be in net. He struggled throughout Game 1, but it will likely take another poor performance for 20-year-old rookie Simeon Varlamov to see the ice.
“You’ll see who it is in the warmup,” Boudreau said, only half joking. “But look it — it’s not a big surprise. [Theodore] is our No. 1 goalie.”
