Time CAPSule - Caps at Philadelphia, April 21, 2008 - Game 6

Earlier this season, we posted Alex Ovechkin](https://www.nhl.com/capitals/news/early-times-of-the-great-eight/c-311761890) and another Nicklas Backstrom](https://www.nhl.com/capitals/news/backstrom-takes-center-stage/c-313921356). In the process of crafting those stories and talking to the subjects themselves and many others, we were reminded of how exciting and thrilling the 2007-08 NHL season was in these parts.

It stands as Ovechkin's career year, it was Backstrom's rookie year, Bruce Boudreau took over behind the Washington bench on Thanksgiving Day, and the Caps made the playoffs for the first time in five years, winning 15 of 19, 11 of 12 and seven straight at season's end to come back from a dismal 6-14-1 start to win the Southeast Division title.

That season and that run into the playoffs augured in the "Rock The Red" era of hockey in DC, the beginning of 11 playoff appearances in a span of a dozen seasons. At this time a dozen years ago, the Caps were in the midst of that wild run. With the NHL's 2019-20 season "paused" for the foreseeable future, we're going to spend the next month looking back at the day-to-day of that remarkable late-season run, revisiting some of our coverage at the time with some fresh hindsight mixed in. On the off days between games, we will revisit some events from earlier in that landmark season. Enjoy!

Monday, April 21, 2008

It's another do-or-die game for the Caps, this time back in Philadelphia for Game 6. The Caps kept their season alive with a 3-2 home ice win over the Flyers in Game 5 on Saturday afternoon, and are back in the City of Brotherly Love looking to force a decisive Game 7, which would be on Tuesday night in D.C.

The Caps' power play has come alive in the last two games, providing four of Washington's six goals (4-for-10) in that span. The Caps went 2-for-16 with the extra man in the first three games of the series. As the series wears on, the youthful Capitals are starting to feel and find their way, and they are posing more problems for a veteran Philadelphia team. But they still trail the Flyers 3-2 in the series, and they have no room for error.

If the Caps are to win this series, they'll need to win three games in four nights, and Monday's game in Philly is the lone road game of the three. Washington is still seeking its first road win of the series; the Flyers won three straight after the Caps took the opener.

Here's our preview of Game 6.

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April 21 vs. Philadelphia Flyers at Wachovia Center

Game 5, Eastern Conference quarterfinal series (Philly leads, 3-2)

Time: 7:00 pm

TV:Versus, Comcast

Radio:WJFK 106.7 FM, WFED 1050 AM, XM

Pre-Game: Pre-Cap Podcast on www.WashingtonCaps.com at 3 p.m.

Washington Capitals (43-31-8, 94 points in regular season)

Philadelphia Flyers (42-29-11, 95 points in regular season)

You've got to win one before you can win two, and you've got to win two before you can win three. With no room for error, the Washington Capitals forged a 3-2 Game 5 victory on Saturday, sending the series back to Philadelphia for Monday's Game 6. That was one. Now, Washington needs a second straight win over the Flyers - this time in Philly - to force a deciding Game 7 back at Verizon Center on Tuesday night.

Washington came out strong in the first half of the game, and then weathered a late Philly storm in Saturday's Game 5 to send the series back north.

"We're not necessarily playing our best hockey," says left winger Donald Brashear, who delivered six first-period hits in Game 5, "but we're still capable of coming out with the win. I think that's what's going on right now."

The Caps held the Flyers to one shot on goal over a span of more than 25 minutes in Game 5. But Philadelphia's lineup is packed with dangerous offensive players, and it only needs one shot to get back in it. The Caps held the Flyers without a shot for the first nine-plus minutes of the third period of Game 4, but then yielded the tying goal after taking a penalty for too many men on the ice just seconds later.

"I think your tendency is to sit back and protect inside," says Caps winger Matt Cooke of the team's performance in the second half of Game 5. "That allowed them to get pucks in and get a forecheck going. And they made us react off shots, which we were trying to do early on in the game. That's the one lesson we can take from tonight. We've got to keep the pedal on the gas with these guys. They never quit, so give them credit."

As usual, Washington was at its best when it kept things simple, got pucks deep, established a forecheck and put pressure on the Philadelphia defense. Some of the Capitals' lines still have a tendency to live dangerously, though, preferring to try risky entry passes at the opposing blueline. Those passes often get broken up, and end up stoking the Flyers' transition game.

"It's dangerous," says Brashear. "You don't learn a lesson in just one game, but over a few games. But one of them can teach you a few lessons. Against that team they know we're trying to pass the puck a little bit too much sometimes and they're going for it. They're expecting us to pass the puck and they're cutting them [off] and they're attacking us. The more we keep the puck on the boards and out of the middle and we stay away from mistakes, the better our chances are to win."

"When we're not turning the puck over at the blueline," says Cooke, "we're allowing all our guys to get up the ice. We're forcing all their guys to come back. They're having a tough time against our forecheck and our cycle game. That's something we have to make sure we stick with. That's what's made us successful, and that's what made us successful last game in Philly and again [in Game 5]."

While the Flyers held Alex Ovechkin without a goal in Game 5, the Caps star left wing was still a positive factor in the game's outcome. He was in front of the net for two of Washington's three goals, and was on the ice for all three. He didn't care that he didn't score.

"I think it was the best team game of the series," says Ovechkin. "Nobody thinks about personal stats right now and how they play. If the team wins, you play well. If the team loses, you play terrible."

While Philly has concentrated its defensive efforts on Ovechkin, youngsters Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin have awakened offensively as they've grown more comfortable with the rigor and tension of NHL playoff hockey.

Both players scored their second goals of the series in Game 5, and Semin's lethal shot is getting on net more frequently. He ripped a laser from the high slot for the game-winner on Saturday.

"He is probably the most skilled player in the National Hockey League," says Cooke of Semin. "When he wants to play, he's unbelievable. We need him, he knows we need him and when he's scoring goals, it's pretty to watch."

It's certainly possible that Ovechkin will break loose at some point in this series, but even if he doesn't, the Caps have been getting enough scoring for other sources to win games.

What's most important for Washington on Monday is to keep playing as it did in the first period of Game 5, getting pucks deep and playing and cycling in the offensive zone as much as possible.

"It's kind of a shame it took us three losses to realize how important it was for us to get the puck deep," says Caps center Brooks Laich. "I think we've watched video on it, and we've learned that our success is down below the tops of their circles. We don't want to force pucks in the middle or force plays through people and sticks at the blueline because they have a lot of team speed. They've got a lot of fast guys and they can counter really quickly and take it back the other way. With our big forwards and our strength, we want to play below their circles."

"It's something we talk about all the time," says Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. "Sometimes you don't get it done. If you've ever coached Little League, you can tell the kids how to play and they go out there and do something different. Sometimes it's the same thing here. But that's the idea; get it deep and go at 'em."

The Caps will also have to be ready for an early Philly push on Monday. The last thing the Flyers want is to return to Washington for a Game 7 on Tuesday.

"We have a pulse and we're still going, says Laich. "We're playing for each day. It sounds so simple, but we're living day-to-day and just want to fight for one more day; one more chance to keep going.

"We have to come up with a huge game. We know how excited and ramped-up they're going to be to play at home. We have to make sure we can survive the first 10 minutes of the game because they're going to try to end it in the first period."

"We've got one last chance in our [playoff] life," says Boudreau. "So I think the pressure is still on us. But it's not a situation that we're not used to. So we're going to go into that building and we're going to play hard and we're going to leave everything in that building that we have. I don't know if we'll have anything for Game 7 if there is one, but we'll give it a shot."

Fun Fact - Sergei Fedorov, 38, became the oldest player to score a playoff goal for the Capitals with his Game 5 tally. He added an assist and was the game's No. 1 star. Fedorov leads all active players with 115 career playoff assists and ranks fourth with 166 career playoff points in 167 games.

Injuries

Philadelphia Flyers

Defenseman Mike Rathje has a back/hip injury and is out indefinitely.

Right wing Mike Knuble has a hamstring injury and is out for the series.

Left wing Simon Gagne has a mild concussion and is out indefinitely.

Washington

Defenseman Brian Pothier has an upper body injury and is day-to-day.

Defenseman Jeff Schultz has an upper body injury and is day-to-day.

Center Michael Nylander underwent shoulder surgery and is out 3-6 months.

Right wing Chris Clark has a groin injury and is day-to-day.

Possible Line Combos and Defensive Pairings

Philadelphia Forwards

19-Hartnell, 48-Briere, 40-Prospal

9-Upshall, 17-Carter, 24-Kapanen

20-Umberger, 18-Richards, 15-Lupul

32-Cote, 34-Dowd, 25-Thoresen

Philadelphia Defensemen

5-Coburn, 44-Timonen

6-Jones, 2-Hatcher

26-Modry, 21-Smith

Goaltenders

30-Niittymaki, 43-Biron

Washington Forwards

8-Ovechkin, 91-Fedorov, 25-Kozlov

21-Laich, 19-Backstrom, 28-Semin

24-Cooke, 39-Steckel, 10-Bradley

87-Brashear, 15-Gordon, 14-Fehr

Washington Defensemen

26-Morrisonn, 52-Green

3-Poti, 23-Jurcina

4-Erskine, 44-Eminger

Goaltenders

37-Kolzig, 38-Huet