Round 3: Eastern Conference Finals- Game 5
Series Tied 2-2
Saturday May 19 Washington Capitals @ Tampa Bay Lightning
Place: Amalie Arena
Time: 7:15 p.m.
TV: NBC, CBC, TVAS
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Capitals Radio 24/7
NHL.COM for Live Box Score
Last Game: May 17 Capitals Lost to Lightning 4-2 in regulation at home.
8-Ovechkin 92-Kuznetsov 43-Wilson
18-Stephenson 19-Bäckström 77-Oshie
13-Vrana 20-Eller 10-Connolly
25-Smith-Pelly 83-Beagle 39-Chiasson
9-Orlov 2-Niskanen
6-Kempny 74-Carlson
44-Orpik 29-Djoos
70-Holtby (starter)
31-Grubauer
-- SCRATCH --
65-Burakovsky
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), Marc Joannette (#25)
Linesmen: Matt MacPherson (#83), Jonny Murray (#95)
Standby Referee: Chris Rooney (#5)
Standby Linesman: Michel Cormier (#76)
Game Note from NHL: NHL Bettman predicts refs will hand two goals to Bolts.
Tampa Bay's Projected Lineup Forwards (Names in Italics are changes since last game)Ondrej Palat - Steven Stamkos - Nikita Kucherov
Yanni Gourde - Brayden Point - Tyler Johnson
Alex Killorn - Anthony Cirelli -
J.T. MillerChris Kunitz - Cedric Paquette - Ryan Callahan
Defensemen Victor Hedman — Dan Girardi
Ryan McDonagh — Anton Stralman
Braydon Coburn — Mikhail Sergachev
Goaltenders Andrei Vasilevskiy
Louis Domingue
1st Period00:19 Bolts GOAL Paquette, assist Cakkahan 1-0 TBL
09:04 Bolts GOAL Palat, assist Kucherov 2-0 TBL
2nd Period00:33 Bolts GOAL Callahan, assists Stralman & Kunitz 3-0 TBL
04:21 GOAL 92-Kuznetsov, assists 2-Niskanen & 77-Oshie 3-1 TBL
3rd Period18:24 GOAL 8-Ovechkin, assists 74-Carlson & 20-Eller 3-2 TBL
FINAL: 3-2 TBL
by Isabelle Khurshudyan, Samantha Pell, Neil Greenberg and Scott Allen May 19 at 1:02 PM
2018 NHL playoffs: Capitals-Lightning Game 5
Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point celebrates a goal with center Tyler Johnson in Game 4. (Nick Wass/Associated Press)
Eastern Conference Finals: Game 5
Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Series: Tied 2-2
Saturday May 19, 7:15 p.m. ET, Amalie Arena
TV: NBC, CBC, TVAS
Remaining schedule
Game 6: at Washington, 8 p.m. Monday May 21
Game 7 (if necessary): at Tampa Bay, 8:00 p.m. Wednesday May 23
- Tampa Bay’s power play has scored at least one goal in every game this series, so staying out of the box has never been more important for Washington. (Read more)
- Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom impressed in his first game back from a right hand injury. He’ll get more responsibility in Saturday night’s Game 5. (Read more)
- Pregame reading: The Capitals have seen this story play out before, but maybe this is one more demon to slay in this postseason. (Read more)
Top story lines
Discipline: Considering the Lightning power play is 6 for 14 in this series, Capitals center Lars Eller knows taking five minor penalties in two games is too much, especially since he’s one of Washington’s top penalty killers.
“It’s an easy fix,” Eller said. “Things happen. Just got to be a little more cautious in certain situations. There’s maybe one I had to take, especially the last one. Guy is coming in, skating into the slot with the puck, so got to try to do something. Yeah, five over two games is too much, so I got to be a little better. It’s an area I can improve.”
But at even-strength, Eller has continued to play well. During the four games Nicklas Backstrom was out, he scored two goals with three assists.
“Yeah, that’s what I’m going to choose to focus on,” Eller said. “I’m not going to choose to focus on five or two incidents that happened in a split second over the last couple weeks, let that bring me down. That’s not how I’m going to look at it. I’m going to focus on all the good stuff we’ve done, all the time we spent in our zone, all the good things the team has done. I’m confident. I’m not happy sitting out in the box, giving them those opportunities, but I’m going to improve that.”
• Andre Burakovsky: Washington’s skilled 23-year-old winger missed 10 playoff games because of an undisclosed “upper-body” injury that required surgery, and he has struggled since his return to the lineup. Burakovsky has taken just two shots in four games, and he had a minus-one rating on Thursday night.
That’s why Capitals Coach Barry Trotz will make Burakovsky a healthy scratch for Game 5. Veteran Alex Chiasson will draw back into the lineup. It’s been a frustrating season for the Swede, who broke his thumb early in the season and missed 20 games. Including this playoff injury, Burakovsky has had three significant ailments in the past two seasons, and his production has suffered. After scoring 17 goals with 21 assists during the 2015-16 campaign, Burakovsky had 35 points last season and that declined again this year with 12 goals and 13 assists through 56 games.
“This is now business right now,” Trotz said. “Talking with staff and looking at his game and all that, we just felt that this is the best lineup for tonight. It doesn’t mean that Andre’s not going to be back in or anything like that. He’s a good young player. He’s just missed a lot of time and just really hasn’t had as much impact as we had hoped.”
• Hot goaltending: For a first time this postseason, Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby has lost back-to-back games, allowing four goals in Game 3 and then three goals in Game 4. Meanwhile, his counterpart in Andrei Vasilevskiy has been the difference for the Lightning. After receiving criticism for leaky performances earlier in the series, Vasilevskiy has responded with two of his best showings in the postseason, including a remarkable 36-save effort in Game 4.
While Tampa Bay is determined to take pressure off Vasilevskiy by taking better care of the puck and limiting Washington’s rush opportunities, the Capitals are looking to create more traffic in front of the net.
“It looked like we had some good chances. I think overall, if you look at the first two games, got a little more in front of the net. Maybe shot it a little more, too,” Backstrom said. “He’s not going to let in goals when he sees the puck.”
Players to watch
Nicklas Backstrom: It’s natural for players to look a step slow in their first game back from injury, and though it’d been two weeks since Backstrom’s last game, Trotz said he didn’t doubt that his top center would find a way to be effective. He had planned to perhaps ease him in, but then Backstrom ended up playing 18:51. Defenseman Brooks Orpik said he was surprised at how Backstrom won his first three faceoffs, as some thought that could be an injury with his right hand injured. Backstrom will be back on the second line with wingers T.J. Oshie and Chandler Stephenson in Game 5.
“That would have been pretty disappointing if the team finally kind of got over that hurdle, then he wasn’t a part of it, with how big a part of the team he is,” Orpik said. “I know he was pretty excited about it. You know Nick, he’s pretty quiet, keeps to himself. When he was hurt, kind of just did his thing. He wasn’t a distraction. We all kind of knew we’d get him back at some point.”
Alex Killorn: A six-year veteran of the Lightning, Killorn finished with a career-high in points this season with 15 goals and 32 assists. He scored the game-winning goal in Thursday night’s Game 5, and Tampa Bay Coach John Cooper said he’d like to see Killorn shooting the puck more because he’s got such a good release. Through 14 playoff games, Killorn has five goals and two assists.
“Alex is an important part of our team,” Cooper said. “He’s been an important part in many playoff series for us. Would we have liked a little bit more production out of that line? There’s no question. The one thing, you can sit here and say production, production, production. Talk to me about how they’ve been on the penalty kill. He’s done really well. Some of it doesn’t always add up in the point total.”
Pregame reading
Immerse yourself in the Capitals’ postseason with The Post’s coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs:
Capitals’ ghosts of collapses past have suddenly sprung to lifeThe Capitals’ overachieving year threatens, again, to end in doom and gloomNicklas Backstrom returns, and the Capitals are again a team in fullTampa Bay’s penalty kill picks ‘lesser of the evils’ in Game 4 win over CapitalsFor whatever reason, the Capitals are not at home in their own buildingLightning, Andrei Vasilevskiy withstand Capitals’ barrage to tie Eastern Conference finalsUnburdened by previous playoff baggage, Capitals’ young players help carry the loadAfter an uncharacteristic playoff performance, Braden Holtby takes stock — and moves onVictor Hedman is ‘all over the ice’ in Lightning’s Game 3 win over CapitalsAfter being blamed for Game 3 loss, Caps fans destroy broom signed by Nicklas BackstromI’ll have what Alex Ovechkin is having: Fans can’t get enough of Mamma Lucia’s chicken ParmesanSteven Stamkos is healthy, confident and ready to lead the Lightning’s comebackIn what could be his last run with Capitals, relentless Jay Beagle refuses to yieldTony Kornheiser on the Capitals: ‘They’re going to win the Stanley Cup’Between cancer treatments at the Mayo Clinic, Caps fan flies home to attend Game 3Caps fan’s viral selfie with Evgeny Kuznetsov was even more charming than it seemedThe Caps and Nats are rolling, and Barry Trotz and Dave Martinez can’t stop texting each otherThese Stanley Cup playoffs have given the Capitals all they can handle. And they’ve handled it just fine.Lars Eller steps out of injured Nicklas Backstrom’s shadow and into the spotlightLightning defenseman tried to copy Alex Ovechkin’s moves. Now he’s trying to stop them.‘We are all about the Rangers South’: Capitals face familiar playoff foes in TampaBarry Trotz lacks a contract extension, but has perspective as Capitals pursue Stanley Cup
