In a series defining game, Alexander Ovechkin put up two goals for the Washington Capitals to keep their postseason alive in Game 4 of the First Round of the Eastern Conference at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Tuesday. Ovechkin’s game winner moves him past Gordie Howe and Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby for 18th in NHL history with 69 playoff goals.
The New York Islanders started the game off strong in the first period with a goal from Jean-Gabriel Pageau four minutes in. The Isles kept the early momentum and notched a second goal minutes later from Matt Barzal.
The Caps started to see change late in the first. “We started to impose our will a little bit and tilt the ice in our favor getting some offensive-zone shifts,” Capitals Head Coach Todd Reirden said. “That’s Mandatory for us to have success as a team.”
The Caps got down to business in the second scoring twice within the first five minutes of the period. Ovechkin sealed the win for the Caps 3-2 off an odd-man rush early in the third.
Islanders Captain, Andres Lee, knew that this was going to be a tough game to win. “We’ve just got to regroup and go back at it,” Lee said. “It’s a difficult thing to close out a team, and we’ve put ourselves in a phenomenal position with the first three games…There’s a lot of pride on both ends. You expect it to be tough.”
The Caps had the advantage of being able to produce on the power play when Ovechkin tied the contest at two. During game four, the Isles went 0-for-5 on the power play and are 1-for-19 in this series.
“We’ve got to find a way to put one in the back of the net,” Barzal said. “We knew coming into this series special teams was probably going to be a deciding factor in some games, and not that it was tonight, but for them to get that second goal was huge for them….We’ve just got to make an adjustment.”
Evgeny Kuznetsov, who started the scoring off for Washington, said making sure to hold possession longer will lead to success over a hungry Islanders team.
“We stopped shooting the puck and we started holding the puck,” Kuznetsov said. “We started enjoying the hockey game, and that’s what gives us success. I believe that it’s very hard to defend when guys wear you down for 45 second, 50 seconds.”
The Caps will try to keep the momentum going and become the fifth team in NHL history to win a series after being down 3-0.
“Make no mistake, if we don’t work that hard again, we’re not going to have success,” Capitals coach Todd Reirden said. “We need to match that work ethic and that compete that we showed for sure in the final 50 minutes of the game.”
After a hit from Caps defenseman Radko Gudas late in the second, Isles forward Cal Clutterbuck did not return for the third period. As of Wednesday Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz said, “he seems pretty good to go.”
The Capitals will still be without center Nicklas Backstrom for a fourth straight game due to concussion protocol.
The Capitals will fight to keep the series going in Game five Thursday night at 8pm in the first round of The Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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