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GDT R3G7 Capitals @ Lightning 2018-05-23 8:00pm EST NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS
ArJunaZ:
Round 3: Eastern Conference Finals- Game 7
Series Tied: 3-3
Wednesday May 23 Tampa Bay Lightning @ Washington Capitals
Place: Amalie Arena
Time: 8:00 p.m.
TV: NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Capitals Radio 24/7
NHL.COM for Live Box Score
Last Game: May 21 Capitals Smoked the Lightning 3-0 in regulation at Home.
8-Ovechkin 92-Kuznetsov 43-Wilson
13-Vrana 19-Bäckström 77-Oshie
65-Burakovsky 20-Eller 10-Connolly
18-Stephenson 83-Beagle 25-Smith-Pelly
9-Orlov 2-Niskanen
6-Kempny 74-Carlson
44-Orpik 29-Djoos
70-Holtby (starter)
31-Grubauer
-- SCRATCH --
39-Chiasson
79-Walker
72-Boyd
63-Gersich
64-Pinho
28-Jerabek
22-Bowey
1-Copley
-- 1st Powerplay Unit --
77-Oshie 19-Bäckström 92-Kuznetsov
8-Ovechkin 74-Carlson
-- 2nd Powerplay Unit --
13-Vrana 10-Connolly 20-Eller
2-Niskanen 9-Orlov
Referees: Wes McCauley (#4), Kelly Sutherland (#11)
Linesmen: Derek Amell (#75), Jonny Murray (#95)
Standby Referee: Marc Joannette (#25)
Standby Linesman: Matt MacPherson (#83)
Series Supervisor: Paul Devorski
Tampa Bay's Projected Lineup
Forwards
Ondrej Palat - Steven Stamkos - Nikita Kucherov
Yanni Gourde - Brayden Point - Tyler Johnson
Alex Killorn - Anthony Cirelli - J.T. Miller
Chris Kunitz - Cedric Paquette - Ryan Callahan
Defensemen
Victor Hedman — Dan Girardi
Ryan McDonagh — Anton Stralman
Braydon Coburn — Mikhail Sergachev
Goaltenders
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Louis Domingue
1st Period
01:02 GOAL 8-Ovechkin, assists 92-Kuznetsov & 43-Wilson 1-0 WSH
2nd Period
08:59 GOAL 65-Burakovsky, unassisted 2-0 WSH
16:31 GOAL 65-Burakovsky, assist 74-Carlson 3-0 WSH
3rd Period
16:17 GOAL 19-Bäckström, unassisted 4-0 WSH
FINAL: 4-0 WSH
by Isabelle Khurshudyan, Roman Stubbs, Dan Steinberg and Neil Greenberg May 23 at 2:47 PM
2018 NHL Playoffs: Capitals-Lightning Game 7
The Capitals are one win away from playing for the Stanley Cup … and one loss away from elimination. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)
Eastern Conference Finals: Game 7
Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Series: Tied 3-3
Wednesday May 23, 8:00 p.m. ET, Amalie Arena
TV: NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS
Remaining schedule
Game 7 Winner moves on to Stanley Cup Final against Las Vegas Golden Knights!
* This will be the 11th Game 7 for captain Alex Ovechkin. (Read more)
* Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby is coming off his first shutout of the season. (Read more)
* Washington’s fourth line has been crucial for the team all postseason. (Read more)
Top story lines
Game 7: No NHL team has played in more Game 7s over the past decade than Washington. Ovechkin acknowledged this might be the biggest game of his life, and he seemed to be looking forward to it.
“I think both teams have experience to play those games,” Ovechkin said. “It’s going to be hard, it’s going to be interesting, it’s going to be fun. You know, you play hockey because of these moments. One game. That’s it. Everything on the line.”
Lightning Coach Jon Cooper walked into his pregame news conference and muttered, “Wow.”
“Is something going on tonight?” he cracked.
The Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2004, and Tampa Bay went to the final three years ago. But much like Ovechkin and center Nicklas Backstrom, the current core of players is still chasing a championship.
“Been to a conference final in three of the last four years,” defenseman Victor Hedman said. “We’ve been close, but haven’t reached our ultimate goal yet. For me and [Steven Stamkos], we’ve almost been here for almost a decade now. We want to win with this organization. We want to bring a Stanley Cup back to Tampa.”
• Physical play: The Capitals outhit the Lightning, 39-19, in Monday’s Game 6, and Washington did so while still controlling possession for most of the game. The Capitals called their bruising play throughout the series “an investment,” hopeful that Tampa Bay players will be worn down by the time Game 7 begins.
“It’s the way we’ve got to play,” center Jay Beagle said emphatically. “I think when we play our best is when we’re physical and we’re dictating the game with how physical we can play. I think that’s obviously a key. You saw it [Monday] night. We have to do it again in Game 7.”
Said defenseman Brooks Orpik: “That’s probably one area where we have an edge is the size and physical play, and over the course of a seven-game series it’s something we talked about. Just when we get opportunities, don’t run out of position, but try to wear them down when you can.”
• Special teams: The Capitals have been smart to stay out of the penalty box the past two games, but when they’ve been tested shorthanded, they’ve impressed. The Lightning’s power play started the series 6-for-13, but the Capitals have killed three straight penalties over the past two games. In Game 6, Tampa Bay managed just one shot on goal with its man-advantage, and Washington matched that while on the penalty kill. So far in this series, the team that’s won the special teams battle has won the game.
“In special teams especially, it’s a cat and mouse every game,” Holtby said. “We’ve got a plan tonight that we’re going to have to execute and adjust if they’ve made adjustments.”
• Road success: Washington has seemed relaxed on the road this postseason, with a 7-2 record away from Capital One Arena. The Capitals have started a superstition, in which one member of the team takes a solo lap before the morning skate, and since Washington lost its last game in Tampa Bay, Ovechkin had to tab someone new to take the lap on Wednesday. In a surprise, he chose Coach Barry Trotz.
“I looked at it this way, real simply: they called my number,” Trotz said. “At this time of year, you’re all in. And so, I was ready. I was surprised. And I was a little bit worried about the turns because the rudders haven’t been sharpened all year. You didn’t see a lot of crossovers there. I used body mass and weight to dig in there. And it was a little bit of a slow lap. You’re all in this time of year. They call your number, you got to step up to the plate. You got to do it. So I appreciated it. They had a good chuckle.
“Obviously we’re pretty loose.”
Players to watch
Braden Holtby: The Capitals have gone as Holtby has during this entire playoff run. In his first 12 postseason starts, the Capitals were 10-2 and Holtby had a .928 save percentage and 2.04 goals against average. In their next three games — losses in Games 3, 4 and 5 to fall behind, 3-2, to the Lightning — Holtby allowed 3.49 goals a contest and posted an .844 save percentage. Then the 28-year-old goaltender pitched his first shutout of the season in the Capitals’ 3-0 season-extending win Monday. How he fares in net Wednesday, especially with standout goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes across the ice, will have a major bearing on whether the Capitals move on to the Stanley Cup finals.
“That was last game,” Trotz of Holtby’s Game 6 shutout. “It’s a new game. There’s no … to me nothing really carries over.”
Andrei Vasilevskiy: After giving up 10 goals (and a stunningly low 84 percent save percentage) in the first two games of the series, the young Russian goaltender took plenty of heat. He’s responded with memorable moments in each of the last four games. He had a series-high 38 saves in Game 3. He single-handedly stole Game 4 with the best postseason performance of his career. He made several crucial stops in the final minutes to stave off a Washington comeback in Game 5, and he was a lone bright spot in a shutout loss in Game 6. Whatever the 23-year-old has in store for Game 7, Tampa Bay is focused on giving him support after its worst showing of the series.
“We know we have to be better, there’s no doubt about that. We watched the tape, went over the game plan,” Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos said of Game 6. “There’s not a lot to be said when you get into a scenario like this. We’ll elevate our game, no doubt about that.”
Pregame reading
Immerse yourself in the Capitals’ postseason with The Post’s coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs:
Capitals’ grinders are at the center of extraordinary playoff moments
Boswell: The Capitals’ best chance to shed their demons? Embrace the moment.
Tampa Bay is no stranger to Game 7 in Eastern Conference finals
Bog: Was Caps’ win the greatest in Capital One Arena history? It looked and sounded like it.
It’s not just you: The Caps really do play an absurd number of Game 7s
The Capitals haven’t been bad in Game 7s, they’ve just been unlucky
‘The biggest game of our life’: Capitals brace for Game 7 vs. Lightning
Game 7 puts Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin in familiar role: Squarely in the spotlight
Signed for moments just like these, T.J. Oshie cashes in to keep Capitals alive
Braden Holtby picks the perfect time to play his best game for the Capitals
Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy was brilliant once more, but was beaten because his teammates were not
The Capitals need a hero, and it needs to be Braden Holtby
The Lightning knows what’s at stake in Game 6: A chance to rest
Capitals’ Matt Niskanen is quick to take blame but deserves more of the credit
The Capitals got themselves into this mess, but they’re staying the course
Svrluga: The Capitals have spent all their house money. Do they have anything in reserve?
Unburdened by previous playoff baggage, Capitals’ young players help carry the load
After being blamed for Game 3 loss, Caps fans destroy broom signed by Nicklas Backstrom
I’ll have what Alex Ovechkin is having: Fans can’t get enough of Mamma Lucia’s chicken Parmesan
Steven Stamkos is healthy, confident and ready to lead the Lightning’s comeback
Barry Trotz lacks a contract extension, but has perspective as Capitals pursue Stanley Cup
apace41:
Critical issue -- everybody get on board with rooting hard for the Nats against the Padres this afternoon. It seems that Caps only win when the Nats win.
G1: Nats Beat Arizona -- Caps win
G2: Nats Beat Arizona -- Caps win
G3: Nats Rain out -- Caps lose
G4: Nats Rain out -- Caps lose
G5: Nats Lose -- Caps lose
G6: Nats Beat San Diego -- Caps win
Very important that the Nats win today!
Surreylily:
Ovi with the GWG....... refs permitting.......... :wackysmile:
OnlyCaps2:
Nervous and excited!!!
Wes McCauley and crew, please call a good game.
Beaglefan2:
Another 3-0 victory. Goals by Kuzy, Connelly and Ovi.
This is the most exciting night we have had as Caps fans!!!!
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