EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND, GAME 5:
CAPITALS (2-2) AT BLUE JACKETS (2-2)
Location: Nationwide Arena, 7:30 p.m., Thursday
Local TV: NBC with postgame show on
Fox Sports Ohio
National TV: NBC, NBCSN (Chris Cuthbert, Ray Ferraro); Sportsnet, TVA (Canada)
Radio: 97.1 FM & BlueJackets.com (Bob McElligott)
WASHINGTON, D.C. - What a difference perspective makes.
After dropping the past two games in this series at Nationwide Arena, which evened things up at two games apiece, the Blue Jackets are trying to keep the big picture in focus. Rather than focusing on the disappointment and frustration of those defeats, Columbus is instead looking at what's ahead.
There are three games left, they've already beaten the Washington Capitals at Capital One Center twice to begin the series and they still have an opportunity to come out on top in a Stanley Cup Playoffs series for the first time in franchise history.
"They want to succeed," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said Friday, after a practice at Nationwide Arena. "We're in [the playoffs] two years in a row, which is a step in the right direction, but I still think there's much more to come here for us to be an organization that's considered a team to be reckoned with every year. I still think we have a ways to go, but when you get in two years in a row, yeah, it's one of the things you need to cross, is find a way to win a series and I'm sure they feel that."
GAME 5 PREVIEW: Blue Jackets aim to handle high-stakes game better
Columbus looking at series as best-of-3, confident after earlier wins in D.C.
The Jackets looked like the weight of that challenge wore heavy on them Thursday, when they dropped Game 4 by a 4-1 score in front of the largest crowd to ever witness a Blue Jackets game in franchise history.
The Capitals played a sound, structured game through the neutral zone and made Columbus pay for turning the puck over too often. Tortorella said he felt nervous energy played a negative role in the game, which he hopes was only a one-game thing.
"I don't think it should weigh on them," he said." I think it's a learning process with some of the guys to learn how to handle what I guess you'd say is pressure, and to turn it into excitement, into adrenaline, into just embracing the opportunity. It's easy for us to talk about. They have to live it, you know? I'm disappointed for them, because they had two whacks at it here at home to blow the roof off, as far as trying to find a way to win. We didn't do it. We're going to have another chance."
The key phrase now is "three-game series," which was cited by both Tortorella and players who spoke with reporters after practice Friday.
"Obviously, you go up 2-0 and everyone expects you to win or whatever, but they're a good team," forward Cam Atkinson said. "So, they're going to have some fight in them. We won two at their place. They won two at our place. As far as I'm concerned, it's 0-0. Right now, it's a best-of-3 and we'll be ready to rock and roll in their building."
SERIES RECAP
GAME 1
Blue Jackets 4, Capitals 3 (OT): The Capitals took a 2-0 lead on power-play goals scored late in the first period by Evgeny Kuznetsov, who made the Blue Jackets pay a heavy price for Josh Anderson's heavy hit on defenseman Michal Kempny. Anderson was assessed a boarding major and game misconduct, which led to Kuznetsov's goals. Columbus clawed back on goals by Wennberg and veteran Thomas Vanek, before Wennberg was injured in the third by Wilson. Devante Smith-Pelly and Seth Jones traded goals past the midway point of the third, making it 3-3, and Artemi Panarin won it 6:03 into overtime.
GAME 2
Blue Jackets 5, Capitals 4 (OT): Washington built a 2-0 lead in the first period for the second straight game, including Alexander Ovechkin's first in the series, but the Capitals allowed a breakaway goal by Cam Atkinson in the final stages of the period to cut their lead in half. Ovechkin's second power-play of the game started the scoring in the second, pushing Washington's lead to 3-1, but Columbus scored the next three goals, by Anderson, Atkinson and Zach Werenski for a 4-3 lead starting the third. The Caps outshot the Jackets 21-5 in the third, aided by four of the Jackets' eight penalties, and tied it late on a power-play goal by T.J. Oshie. Once again, the Jackets prevailed in overtime, getting a goal from Matt Calvert to end it. Bobrovsky made a franchise-record 54 saves.
GAME 3
Capitals 3, Blue Jackets 2 (2-OT):Ovechkin told reporters after the morning skate the series would go back to Washington for Game 5 on Saturday tied 2-2. The Jackets came inches from ruining his proclamation, hitting the post four times, but the Capitals won nine minutes into the second overtime off a fortunate bounce that followed Bobrovsky's 42nd save. The puck hit Lars Eller's left skate and bounced into the net, silencing a record crowd of 19,337 inside Nationwide Arena, the largest to ever watch a Blue Jackets game there. Panarin and rookie Pierre-Luc Dubois scored goals in regulation for Columbus, while Wilson and John Carlson scored goals in regulation for the Capitals - who started Holtby (33 saves) over Philipp Grubauer.
GAME 4
Capitals 4, Blue Jackets 1:The Capitals accomplished what they set out to do after dropping the first two games in overtime. They matched the Blue Jackets' two-game road sweep and raised the stakes even more with the victory, which was the first that ended in regulation. Kuznetsov had a goal and two assists to lead the way, Ovechkin scored his third goal of the series and added an assist and Wilson also finished with a goal and assist for Washington, which got 23 saves from Braden Holtby. T.J. Oshie also scored a goal to make it 2-0 in the second period, capping a man-advantage by scoring the Capitals' seventh power-play goal of the series. Boone Jenner scored the lone goal for the Blue Jackets, who got 29 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky.
WHO'S HOT
Capitals: Evgeny Kuznetsov's four points (one goal, three assists) in Game 4 on Thursday gave him six points (three goals, three assists) in the series; Carlson has at least a point in every game of the series, compiling his eighth point (one goal, seven assists).
Blue Jackets: Bobrovsky has made 152 saves on 165 shots for a .921 save percentage, including 29 saves on 32 shots in Game 4; Anderson assisted on Jenner's goal and has three points (one goal, two assists) in the series.
ANALYTICS
Columbus
Washington
SPECIAL TEAMS
POWER PLAY
Columbus
Washington
PENALTY KILL
Columbus
Washington
SCOUTING REPORT
EYES ON: THE CAPITALS
EYES ON: THE BLUE JACKETS
PROJECTED LINEUPS
CAPITALS
Forwards
Alex Ovechkin - Evgeny Kuznetsov- Tom Wilson
Chandler Stephenson - Nicklas Backstrom - T.J. Oshie
Brett Connolly - Lars Eller - Devante Smith-Pelly
Jakub Vrana - Jay Beagle - Alex Chiasson
Defensemen
Michal Kempny - John Carlson
Dmitri Orlov - Matt Niskanen
Brooks Orpik - Christian Djoos
Goaltenders
Braden Holtby
Philipp Grubauer
Scratched: Madison Bowey, Andre Burakovsky (upper body), Jakub Jerabek, Shane Gersich, Brian Pinho, Travis Boyd, Pheonix Copley
BLUE JACKETS
Forwards
Artemi Panarin - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Cam Atkinson
Boone Jenner - Nick Foligno - Thomas Vanek
Matt Calvert - Brandon Dubinsky - Josh Anderson
Sonny Milano - Mark Letestu - Oliver Bjorkstrand
Defensemen
Zach Werenski - Seth Jones
Ian Cole - David Savard
Ryan Murray - Markus Nutivaara
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Joonas Korpisalo
Others: Markus Hannikainen, Alexander Wennberg (upper body), Alex Broadhurst, Taylor Chorney, Jack Johnson, Scott Harrington, Dean Kukan, Lukas Sedlak (upper body)
