There were almost too many heroes to count.
Should the acclaim go to the fourth-line grinder who moved up a spot in the lineup and contributed two unlikely goals? Or how about the rookie goalie who continues to show poise beyond his years? And, as always, there is the superstar with the knack for the big moment, scoring goals that take your breath away.
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Forwards Matt Bradley and Alex Ovechkin and 20-year-old goalie Simeon Varlamov deserve all the praise heaped upon them after their clutch performances in Game 5 on Friday night. They each helped deliver the Caps to a 4-0 victory at Verizon Center and extended the season at least two more days.
Capitals at RangersWhen » Sunday, 2Where » Madison Square GardenTV/Radio » NBC (HD)/106.7 FM/XM» The Caps survived one elimination game on Friday night. But they still have two more to go and Game 6 is in New York, which leads the best-of-seven series 3-2. Another win there and Washington gets to host a Game 7 at Verizon Center on Tuesday night for the second straight spring. But a loss and the season is over.
Bradley scored two first-period goals — one shorthanded, the other a how-did-that-get-through shocker against Rangers star goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who had stopped 141 of 149 fired his way through the first four games.
» Nicklas Backstrom won 8 of his 13 faceoffs on Friday night and recorded his fifth assist of the series. » Boyd Gordon’s assist on Matt Bradley’s shorthanded goal in the first period was his first playoff point in 12 career games. » The Caps received another standout performance from a goalie prospect on Friday. Michal Neuvirth, 20, posted a shutout in AHL Hershey’s 1-0 win over Philadelphia. He saved all 23 Phantoms shots as the Bears swept the first-round series and advanced to play Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. » Washington’s penalty kill — a liability through much of the regular season — has killed off 18 New York power plays in a row since allowing two in Game 1.
Ovechkin put the game away for good with a dazzling individual effort late in the second period that left four different New York players flailing at him helplessly. And Varlamov, the Russian youngster who has come of age in this best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal, earned his second shutout in three games, stopping all 20 New York shots.
Their work is far from over, of course. But at least the Caps have practice on Saturday morning before again boarding a short flight for New York. A win brings them back to the District for a Game 7 on Tuesday. A loss and the season ends in bitter fashion for the second year in a row.
“It’s our goal [to win Sunday],” Ovechkin said. “We never give up. We fight. Through all this situation it’s hard. But we’ll try to do it.”
Ovechkin’s brilliant goal — he cut across the ice left to right, shook off three Rangers as he zipped left again and finally beat Lundqvist while being hauled down — extended the lead to 4-0 with 29 seconds left in the second period.
But it was Bradley’s play that set the tone. The 30-year-old right wing has spent much of the season on the fourth line. But Caps coach Bruce Boudreau moved him up to the third line with center Davis Steckel and left wing Brooks Laich. That trio provided energy from their first shift. But it was while shorthanded that Bradley made his mark.
He knocked the puck out of the New York offensive zone and past defenseman Michal Rozsival, who slipped to the ice. Bradley then beat Rangers forward Chris Drury up ice and made a beautiful backhanded flip over Lundqvist that would have made Ovechkin or Alexander Semin proud.
The play electrified the sellout crowd just under 5 minutes into the game. At 12 minutes, seven seconds of the first, Bradley struck again with a shot from a bad angle that he still isn’t sure how it slipped through Lundqvist, who seemed to have his left post secure.
“I’m not going to lie — I was just throwing it at the net and got lucky,” Bradley said. “You don’t get many against a goalie like that.”
Bradley’s shorthanded goal brought to mind a shootout winner he scored against Edmonton last season. He often joked in the days afterward that coach Bruce Boudreau needed to give him more power-play time after that effort. Ironically, because of the lopsided score, Bradley did get 2:42 on the power play late in Game 5. His two goals were the first of his career in the postseason in 22 games.
“It’s not every game [Bradley] scores. But I was real happy for him,” Boudreau said. “He’s an unsung hero. Whether he plays four minutes or seven, he’s still a component in the room and when he can get rewarded like that it’s great.”
