The Washington Capitals don’t need a history lesson. Neither do the Winnipeg Jets for that matter.
The Capitals are well aware of their penchant for letting opportunity after opportunity slip away Shannon Sharpe Jersey , frequently at the hands of Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
And just in case Alex Ovechkin and his teammates ever forget about their playoff missteps, they need only step in front of a camera or a microphone, where the same questions are posed year after year.
There’s only one way to hop off the hamster wheel: close out the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins this week – preferably at the end of Game 6 Monday night (7 p.m., NBCSN) in Pittsburgh – to earn the franchise’s first trip to the Eastern Conference finals in 20 years.
”I don’t know if I could tell you exactly what it would mean,” Washington forward T.J. Oshie said.
”None of us have ever been there. We’re just looking to get the job done and maybe after we can talk about the feelings. But right now we still got a lot of work to do.”
Work that in the past has proven to be too much. Four previous times during the Ovechkin Era – including in 2009 and 2017 against Pittsburgh – the Capitals have won three games in the second round of the playoffs. It’s that fourth one that’s proven elusive.
No pressure or anything. All Washington has to do to produce a cathartic breakthrough is hand the Penguins their first series loss in 37 months.
Pittsburgh has never lost an elimination game under head coach Mike Sullivan, capturing a pair of Game 7s – including a 2-0 shutout in Washington in the second round – during its run to a second straight Cup last spring and rallying from a 3-2 deficit against Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference finals two years ago.
”They know what it takes to win,” Sullivan said. ”They’re not afraid of challenges and they embrace these types of situations.”
To become the first team in 35 years to earn three consecutive titles, the Penguins don’t really have a choice.
They were the better team for long stretches in Game 5 only to have the Capitals surge past them in the third period for a 6-3 win – the second time in three games Pittsburgh lost in regulation when leading after two, something it didn’t do at all in the regular season.
No matter. Recovering quickly and moving forward has kind of been their thing under Sullivan. The Penguins are 17-5 following a playoff loss with Sullivan on the bench.
Pushing that number to 18-5 would send the series back to Washington and force the Capitals try to explain – again – how this time will be different.
”We knew it was going to be a tight series,” Crosby said. ”We need to make sure we leave it all out there, give ourselves a chance to get back (to Washington).”
At least the Capitals put themselves in position for playoff heartbreak. That’s hardly the case with the Jets, who until a month ago had won exactly zero postseason games in their 18 years of existence and now find themselves one victory away from the Western Conference finals.
Winnipeg has never been this far. Ever. The Jets put themselves in position when they stunned Nashville by scoring four goals in the second period against Vezina Trophy finalist Pekka Rinne during a 6-2 romp in ”Smashville” in Game 5, sending them home for Game 6 (9:30 p.m., NBCSN) with a chance to wrap up the series.
Not that the Jets want to talk about it.
”That’s noise. It’s kind of a distraction,” Winnipeg captain Blake Wheeler said.
”What we’re focused on is what’s given us success all year long, and that’s just finding a way to win one hockey game. If we’re able to do that Braden Smith Jersey , then when it’s all said and done you’re reflecting on the season and you’ll think about what you were able to accomplish and the magnitude of the situation. But we can’t make it bigger than a game.”
The Predators, unlike the Jets, have been here before. They faced elimination in the first round against Anaheim in 2016 but came back to advance, triumphing in the crucible of Game 7 for the first time in franchise history in the process.
”It’s pretty simple, we win we keep playing,” Nashville forward Filip Forsberg said. ”If we don’t, we don’t play anymore. Obviously that desperation level is going to be a determining factor for sure.”
It’s a feeling long familiar in Washington. The Capitals received a dose of good news on Sunday when coach Barry Trotz said center Nicklas Backstrom will travel with the team after leaving in the third period of Game 5 with an upper-body injury.
Whoever is on the ice will be forced to shoulder the weight of playoff failures, one Trotz is confident his team is finally ready to shrug off for good.
”I can tell you there’s not a player, a coach, a trainer, ownership, (general manager) who is not trying to do everything they can to win this series,” Trotz said. ”Trust me. We’re trying as hard as we can and at the end of the day that’s all we can promise.”
—
AP Sports Writer Teresa Walker in Nashville, Tennessee, and AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno in Washington, D.C. Rigoberto Sanchez Jersey , contributed to this report.
—
All of about 2 1/2 minutes into the game, Washington forward Markieff Morris and Toronto’s OG Anunoby needed to be separated after a near-fight that drew in other players.
Early in the third quarter Friday night, Raptors guard Kyle Lowry was called for a flagrant foul when he swiped a hand across Bradley Beal’s forehead as the Wizards guard went in for a breakaway layup. Later in that period, things really came close to spiraling out of control, but John Wall’s bodyguard interceded when Washington’s All-Star jawed with Toronto’s Serge Ibaka.
As that scene unfolded on the court, spectators directed ”U-S-A! U-S-A!” chants at the opponents from Canada, and Bruce Springsteen’s ”Born in the U.S.A.” blared over the arena’s speakers. Amid all the ruckus, Beal and Wall kept their heads and helped the Wizards pull further and further away for a 122-103 victory.
What was once a dull, lopsided series is suddenly quite interesting.
Beal heeded his coach’s plea to ”do his job” by scoring 21 of his 28 points in the first half, Wall delivered 28 points and 14 assists, and the eighth-seeded Wizards cut their Eastern Conference first-round playoff deficit to 2-1.
”We’re not going out to try to box every game,” Beal said, before describing Morris as ”a bully with a smile.”
Added Beal: ”We came out tonight with an edge about ourselves.”
After letting the Raptors grab the first 2-0 series lead in franchise history, the Wizards came home and checked off every box coach Scott Brooks presented. They got Beal more involved after he made only three shots in Game 2; they actually led after the first quarter, 30-29; they produced 19 turnovers that led to 28 points.
”They came out and punched us,” Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. ”And we allowed them to.”
He meant that figuratively Preston Brown Jersey , of course, but the choice of words sure seemed apt.
The Raptors did appear to take the worse of the physical nature of the game.
DeMar DeRozan, who led Toronto with 23 points, wore a Band-Aid under his right eye afterward. Reserve Pascal Siakam held a bag of ice over a cut on his lip that required three stitches.
”Ain’t nobody fighting out here,” said Lowry, who had 19 points and eight assists. ”I mean, it got physical, but ain’t nobody fighting. It’s a heated moment, but that’s the game of basketball.”
Each team boasts a pair of elite, All-Star guards. This time, Washington’s pair came out on top.
The start initially had the look of ”Here we go again,” as Toronto moved ahead 27-18. The Raptors, after all, outscored Washington by an average of 11 points in the first period over Games 1 and 2. But this time, Washington responded with a 12-point run capped by Beal’s 3 with under a minute left.
Beal scored 12 in the quarter a day after he, Wall and Brooks met to discuss ways to get Beal more involved in the offense. Entering Friday Mark Barron Jersey , Beal was averaging only 14 points in the playoffs, well below his 22.6 average during the regular season.
”We need both our guys to step up,” Brooks said about Beal and Wall. ”It was good tonight.”
TIP-INS
Raptors: G Fred VanVleet was out again because of a bruised right shoulder. The reserve missed Game 1, then was available for Game 2, but played only three minutes. ”He looked good in practice and, for whatever reason, it was different in the game,” Casey said. ”Couldn’t really catch the ball. Wasn’t effective shooting the ball or handling the ball. He’ll be day to day.”
Wizards: Had lost seven of their past eight games. … Outshot the Raptors 55 percent to 45 percent on field-goal tries.
NO MO’ MOHAWK
After considering dropping C Marcin Gortat from the starting lineup in favor of F Mike Scott, Brooks left things as-is. Sure worked out: Gortat responded with his best showing of these playoffs, contributing 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Asked to explain why Gortat fared so well, Brooks joked: ”He got an age-appropriate haircut,” a reference to the center’s decision to shave his mohawk.
UP NEXT:
Game 4 is at Washington on Sunday night.
—
Adidas Nolan Patrick Jersey ,
