The Washington Capitals dug themselves into a big hole in the first two games of the Stanley Cup playoffs, but it is no surprise that they are down two games to one.
All year, the Capitals have heated up in the third period as time was running out. They don't have a very good winning percentage when they are trailing after two periods, but that's because they didn't trail often. Caps fans can remember the countless games where the team went into the third period tied and came out victorious, like they did against New Jersey when Alexander Semin scored two goals in the last minute. Last night's game was just like entering the third period for the Caps.
The team ranks second in the league in third period scoring, behind the Detroit Red Wings. Going into Monday's game, it looked bleak. Many said the Caps were dead in the water, but the team did not come out Wednesday night and play like that. It showed that the game meant a lot to them as they came out firing, like they have done in third periods of the past.
Alex the Great has been held without a goal so far, but that does not mean his intense, down-to-the-wire playing style has been missing. He leads the Capitals in assists with four, is tied for points with the other Alex at four, leads in shots with 24 and while it isn't listed, it is likely that he leads the team in hits. There is no way he could give anymore out there on the ice. It showed in one play on Monday as he skated down the ice to dive and knock the puck away from a Ranger during a breakaway.
Ovie is not the only one in red, white and blue creating a buzz in the playoffs. At the start of this series, Jose Theodore was unmistakably the number one goalie. One terrible performance by him and 112:16 minutes of shutout hockey by a rookie later, Simeon Varlamov is the new clear-cut number one.
The 20-year-old Russian phenom, often called the Iron Curtain, came out and has given two performances that stack up with the likes of Marty Brodeur and Chris Osgood. Varlamov has the lowest goals-against average and highest save percentage among goaltenders in the playoffs.
The question now is, what do these two players have anything to do with the Capitals third period comebacks?
The answer is simple: they are the ones who keep the momentum up and the team energized. The Caps look more settled on the ice behind the Iron Curtain and play like they trust he is going to make the big save. When a team has someone they can trust in net they can play with a little bit more swagger, taking bigger risks for bigger reward.
As for Ovechkin, his performance in a game against the New York Rangers two days before Christmas speaks for itself. The Caps went down 4-0 midway through the second period, and it looked as if the injury-ridden Capitals were just going to pack it in and go home. They were doing just that too, until Alex Ovechkin decided they could win the game. With less than eight minutes left in the second, Ovie scored his first goal of the night, starting a four-goal rally that ended almost 20 minutes later with Alex's second goal of the night.
That game in December ended in a Shaone Morrisonn goal less than a minute into overtime. Where the Caps are now is not that different from where they were then. Monday's four-goal shutout was no coincidence; this team is playoff caliber. They have shown it all year by rallying from big deficits and winning despite having practically half the team on the injured list. You do not get where the Capitals are by accident.
It is said that anything can happen in the playoffs. The Capitals are embodying that saying right now. Everything they are doing seems to be working. Their rookie goalie posted his first career shutout in Game 3 and they have scored seven goals in three games without Alex Ovechkin. These two things have helped the team do something many playoff teams struggle with, winning on the road.
The NHL playoffs are the most grueling post-season in all of sports, and that is what makes it great. The heart-wrenching losses and nail-biting victories are exactly what the Stanley Cup is all about. So, whether they won or lost last night, one thing to remember is that the Caps enjoy coming from behind, and that at least they gave the Rangers a series for the ages.
You can reach this columnist at atomlinson@theeagleonline.com.
