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Game Seven …

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Washington at Tampa Bay

When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by Gracenote

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TAMPA – The Washington Capitals look to put past playoff failures in the rear-view mirror when they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night for a deciding Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. The Capitals, who sit one win away from their first trip to the Stanley Cup finals since 1998 after a 3-0 victory Monday, have a 4-11 record overall and a 1-3 mark on the road all-time in Game 7s while the Lightning are 5-2 (3-0 at home) in deciding contests.

“I don’t think there’s (another) team I’ve ever had that I’d want to go into Game 7 with,” Washington’s Barry Trotz, who has coached 107 playoff contests in his career and 1,524 in the regular season, told reporters. “This team has done a lot of special things this year. It’s grown. It continues to do that. What an opportunity. … We’ll see if we can earn the right to keep playing.” While Washington’s superstar Alex Ovechkin looks to take his team to the Cup finals for the first time in his tenure, fellow captain Steven Stamkos of Tampa Bay (four goals in the series) hopes to make it for the second time in four seasons with Vegas awaiting the winner for Game 1 on Monday. The Lightning will have raise their level of play after being outshot by an average of more that 10 per game in the series and take pressure off goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has turned aside 131 of 139 attempts while winning three of the last four contests. “We wish we would have wrapped it up (Monday),” Tampa Bay right wing Ryan Callahan told reporters. “At the end of the day, Game 7s are fun. You enjoy it. This is why you battle for home-ice advantage throughout the regular season.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, Sportsnet One, TVA

ABOUT THE CAPITALS: Washington outhit the Lightning 39-19, many of those leading to its 17 takeaways in Game 6, and defenseman Brooks Orpik told reporters: “You try to empty the tank as much as you can. That’s probably one area where we have an edge is the size and physical play.” Right wing T.J. Oshie scored two of the three goals Monday and has seven points in the series while Nicklas Backstrom set up a pair of tallies for his first points in three games since returning from a hand injury. Center Evgeny Kuznetsov had an assist Monday to extend his point streak to nine games and has 23 overall – a franchise playoff record.

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING: Tampa Bay has been outshot 209-145 in the series, managing only 24 in Game 6, and have not scored a goal since 33 seconds into the second period of Game 5 on Saturday night. “We’ve got to execute, that’s part of it,” coach Jon Cooper told reporters. “People say executing is passing the puck and putting it on the tape. Executing is getting pucks on net, putting them where you can get it back. We just haven’t been near aggressive enough at that.” Right wing Nikita Kucherov, who leads the team with 17 points in the playoffs, and Stamkos each managed one shot on net in Game 6 while combining for a minus-3 rating.

OVERTIME

1. Tampa Bay F Tyler Johnson has not scored a goal in the last nine games after recording three in the first seven playoff contests.

2. Washington G Braden Holtby notched his fifth career shutout in the playoffs Monday and owns a .929 save percentage in 76 postseason games.

3. The Capitals have killed off all three power plays in the last two games after giving up six in 14 attempts over the first four contests of the series.

It’s 3-3 …

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Washington 3, Tampa Bay 0

When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, May 21, 2018
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
Attendance: 18,506
Recap for Digital Sports Desk by Field Level Media

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 Braden Holtby
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WASH DC – Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby made 24 saves in a 3-0 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning, forcing a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference finals. The Capitals won Game 6 on Monday night at Capital One Arena in Washington, marking their first home victory of the series.

T.J. Oshie scored twice, including an empty-net tally, and Devante Smith-Pelly also produced a goal for the Capitals, who will return to Tampa, Fla., for Wednesday night’s series finale.

“We have to use it to our advantage,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said of returning home.

The winner meets the expansion Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.

Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 31 shots, but his teammates couldn’t find an opening at the other end.

Tampa Bay had won three games in a row in the series.

“They were the more desperate team tonight,” Lightning star Steven Stamkos said of the Capitals after the game. “They played like their backs were against the wall. … Our desperation level needs to be higher.”

Entering the game, the Lightning held a 7-0 record all-time against the Capitals in postseason games in Washington.

The Lightning advanced through the first two rounds by winning in their first chances in clinching games. This time, Tampa Bay will have to work a little extra if it wants to move on to hockey’s ultimate round.

Oshie scored on a power play — Washington’s only chance on the man advantage for the game — with 4:48 to play in the second period. Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov assisted on the goal.

It was Backstrom’s first point in the series after he missed the first three games coming off an injury suffered during the Pittsburgh series. He was minus-1 in both of the other games he played against the Lightning. He was also credited with an assist on Oshie’s empty-net goal, Backstrom’s 12th assist of the postseason.

“I think once we scored that first goal, we didn’t give up the physical side of the game,” Oshie said. “We kept pounding them and played physical and that wears you down.”

Midway through the third period, Smith-Pelly scored when he broke free skating toward the net and received a pass from Chandler Stephenson.

In a scoreless first period, the Capitals registered eight of the 14 total shots. There were stretches without solid scoring chances with tight checking.

Most the action from the opening period came with a rare postseason fight when Tampa Bay’s J.T. Miller and Washington’s Brooks Orpik tangled with 4:12 remaining.

The Capitals held a 15-8 edge in second-period shots.

–Field Level Media

Tampa Bay Takes Lead

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Tampa Bay 3, Washington 2

When: 7:15 PM ET, Saturday, May 19, 2018
Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa
Attendance: 19,092
Recap for Digital Sports Desk by Field Level Media

TAMPA – A sterling start to each of the first two periods gave the Tampa Bay Lightning all the push they needed to win Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, defeating the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Saturday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.

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For the first time, the Lightning lead the series, taking a 3-2 edge into Game 6 on Monday night in Washington.

Cedric Paquette scored 19 seconds into the game and Ryan Callahan scored 33 seconds into the second period for the Lightning, who have won three games in a row. In between those goals, Ondrej Palat tallied for Tampa Bay, which took a 3-0 lead on the way to winning at home for the first time in the series.

“We had good opportunities and that’s what you have to do (with them),” Callahan told reporters afterward.

Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 28 shots, including 12 of 13 in the third period.

“He has been our backbone all year,” Callahan said of his goaltender. “That’s why we had the season we had.”

Washington goalie Braden Holtby made 19 saves, facing only four shots in the final period.

The Capitals didn’t go away because Evgeny Kuznetsov notched his 11th goal of the postseason 4:21 into the second period. Kuznetsov has scored in all three games in Tampa in the series.

After pulling Holtby for an extra skater, Alex Ovechkin scored with 1:36 to play, but the Capitals couldn’t find a way to pull even. Ovechkin has 11 goals in the playoffs this spring.

“The margin of error of between the teams is not much,” Caps head coach Barry Trotz said afterward. “We haven’t scored (enough).

“…[The power play] is something we have to get some production from. We have to get special teams (going).”

After converting two of four power-play chances in Game 1, the Capitals are 1-of-10 on the man advantage. They did not have a single power-play opportunity Saturday night.

For the Lightning, Paquette’s goal was six seconds away from being the quickest goal at the start of a postseason game in Tampa Bay franchise history. That came from Adam Hall in 2013. Paquette had no resistance as he charged toward the net for the game’s opening score.

Palat’s goal came in transition as he appeared to have a difficult path for the puck to make it to the net, but he shortly fired a shot after crossing the blue line and Holtby couldn’t make the stop.

Callahan’s goal came with some traffic around the net.

This was the first time in the series that Steven Stamkos didn’t score for the Lightning.

–Field Level Media

Oh, What a Knight

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Vegas 3, Winnipeg 2

When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, May 18, 2018
Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance: 18,697
Recap for Digital Sports Desk by Field Level Media

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LAS VEGAS – (Wire Service Report) – Reilly Smith’s unassisted goal with 6:58 remaining sent the Vegas Golden Knights to a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets and to the brink of the Stanley Cup Final in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals Friday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Smith converted off a turnover for his second goal of the postseason. It was only the fourth shot on goal of the period for Vegas.

The Golden Knights, the expansion team that has exceeded expectations throughout the season, have won three games in a row since the Jets claimed the series opener.

“That’s what we’ve done all year,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said postgame. “We take it one game at a time.”

Game 5 will be Sunday afternoon in Winnipeg.

William Karlsson and Tomas Nosek also scored for Vegas.

Patrik Laine and Tyler Myers scored Winnipeg’s goals.

Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made 35 saves.

Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck stopped 26 shots.

Two nights earlier when the Jets lost, they found themselves trailing in a series for the first time this postseason, and now they’re in an even more dire situation.

Myers tied the game 5:34 into the third period by sending the puck through past Fleury, who didn’t have the net covered as well as it initially appeared.

The Jets were insisting they needed to apply more pressure in this game, and there were signs of that. They registered 12 shots on goal in the first 10 minutes of the third period.

“When you get behind against good teams, it’s difficult,” Winnipeg right winger Blake Wheeler said after the loss. “You don’t like losing and when you have guys who don’t like losing, you tend to play pretty intense.”

Karlsson opened the scoring with a power-play goal just 2:25 into the game.

Karlsson skated in from the right unchecked, collecting a pass from Jonathan Marchessault and sending the shot past Hellebuyck.

Laine’s power-play goal pulled the Jets even approaching the midway mark of the second period.

It was tied for only 43 seconds, as Nosek tallied his first goal of the postseason to regain the lead for the Golden Knights.

For Nosek, it was a rather quick redemption after he was in the penalty box for a tripping violation when Laine produced his goal.

The Jets certainly seemed more active in the second period, posting 15 shots.

–Field Level Media

Fleury vs. The Jets

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Winnipeg at Vegas

When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, May 18, 2018
Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by Gracenote

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LAS VEGAS – The Vegas Golden Knights might be an expansion team, but the play of veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in back-to-back victories has lifted them to a 2-1 lead over the Winnipeg Jets entering Friday’s Game 4 of the Western Conference finals at home. Fleury made 33 saves in a 4-2 victory in Game 3, surviving relentless pressure from the Jets in pushing the first-year club to within two victories of the Stanley Cup finals – a place Fleury reached with Pittsburgh the past two seasons.

Fleury, who leads all remaining goaltenders in postseason save percentage (.945) and goals against average (1.70), admits nobody thought Vegas would play this deep into May, telling reporters after Game 3: “It’s been a long season. It’s been a lot of fun to be a part of. Really proud of this team and the way these guys have been working.” Once again it was forward Jonathan Marchessault who sparked the Golden Knights offense, scoring a pair of goals for the second consecutive game and recording his third-straight two-point night in the series. Meanwhile, the Jets looked sloppy and slow in the initial minutes of Game 3 and allowed a goal on a defensive miscue by goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, but pounded 16 shots at Fleury in the final 20 minutes and came close to tying the score several times. “They’re playing really well because they’re a really good team,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler told reporters after recording two assists in Game 3. “You put yourself in a tough position when you’re down by a couple goals on the road, tough environment against a good team. So, the onus is on us to get off to a better start.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, Sportsnet One, TVA

ABOUT THE JETS: Winnipeg did get the dynamic duo from its top line rolling again, as Mark Scheifele scored twice to give him a league-high 14 goals for the playoffs and Wheeler boosted his NHL-best assist total to 17. But second-line forward Nikolaj Ehlers was scratched with an undisclosed injury and the Jets looked out of sorts, as Hellebuyck got caught behind his net while allowing a goal 12 seconds after Scheifele tied the game in the second period. Hellebuyck finished with 26 saves as Winnipeg lost back-to-back games for the first time since mid-March and now trails a postseason series for the first time this spring.

ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS: Marchessault now has 17 points (eight goals) in the playoffs, and along with linemates William Karlsson and Reilly Smith continue to give the Jets defense all kinds of trouble. Playoff veteran James Neal finished with a goal and an assist in Game 3, ending the night plus-3 and leading the Golden Knights with five shots on goal. Fleury made a handful of highlight-worthy saves with Vegas nursing a one-goal lead in the final period, and got plenty of help as the Golden Knights finished with 18 blocked shots and 18 takeaways.

OVERTIME

1. The intensity ramped up in Game 3 as the two teams combined for 89 hits and 40 penalty minutes.

2. Golden Knights F David Perron, who missed the past two games with an undisclosed illness, skated with the team during Thursday’s practice.

3. Vegas F Erik Haula picked up his first point of the series, assisting on Neal’s goal and finishing plus-2 with four takeaways in 13:33.

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