Backstrom provides more playoff heroics for Capitals

WASHINGTON -- Nearly a year later, Nicklas Backstrom has not forgotten the disappointment and anger he felt when the Washington Capitals were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
He doesn't want to feel that way again.
Backstrom didn't have the best regular season of his career, but the 30-year-old forward is back to being a big-game player for the Capitals in the playoffs. He helped set up one goal and scored two, including a deflection 11:53 into overtime that gave the Capitals a 4-3 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Capital One Arena on Saturday.

RELATED: [Backstrom's OT goal helps Capitals win Game 5 | Complete Capitals vs. Blue Jackets series coverage]
"Nick Backstrom was outstanding tonight for us," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. "He's a big-moment guy and he got it done."
It was the fourth playoff overtime goal of Backstrom's NHL career, which is the most in Capitals history and is tied for fifth on the League's all-time list. Joe Sakic (eight), Maurice Richard (six), Patrick Kane (five) and Glenn Anderson (five) have more.
All four of Backstrom's playoff overtime goals have either prevented the Capitals from falling behind or further behind in a series. This one was the difference between the Capitals leading or trailing 3-2 in the best-of-7 series, which heads to Columbus for Game 6 on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; CNBC, Sportsnet, TVAS, FS-O, NBCSWA).

Despite his three points, Backstrom downplayed his performance.
"Tonight maybe wasn't my best game," he said. "That's hockey. That's sometimes what happens. But I feel like everyone here has raised their game a little bit in the playoffs and that's what we need. But the series is not over. We have the toughest game left."
After 11 seasons with the Capitals, Backstrom realizes they have already wasted their fair share of chances to win the Stanley Cup. They probably had their best team last season when they won the Presidents' Trophy for the second straight season but were eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Second Round for the second season in a row.
Backstrom was among the Capitals who took the 2-0 home loss to the Penguins in Game 7 the hardest. It stuck with him through the summer and into the start of this season.
"I was really [angry] after last year when we lost," he said. "I feel like we're a good team in here and we want to create something good here. I just wanted to be ready for the playoffs. That's what I've been looking forward to."
Like several of his teammates, Backstrom got off to a slow start this season. From Oct. 17-Dec. 4, he went 21 games without a goal, equaling the second-longest drought of his NHL career. Although he improved in the second half, his 71 points in 81 games (21 goals, 50 assists) was a significant drop from his Capitals-high 86 (23 goals, 63 assists) last season.
But Trotz said he was never worried about Backstrom.
"[Backstrom] is a guy that you don't have too many long conversations with him," he said. "He knows when he's playing really well or if he's maybe struggling a little bit. He's very intelligent that way. He's one of our leaders."

Trotz said Backstrom was among the Capitals who spoke up in their locker room during the intermission between the end of the third period and the start of overtime. The Capitals were outshot 16-1 in the third and probably wouldn't have reached overtime without goalie Braden Holtby's heroics.
"We had to be better," Backstrom said. "I thought we had some good chances in overtime. We played better then, we were more aggressive. We kept it pretty simple too. That's the key."
After Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made some spectacular saves earlier in overtime on Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson, it took a simple play to beat him. Defenseman Dmitry Orlov let go a shot from the point that probably would have gone wide if Backstrom, who was stationed in front of the net, hadn't deflected it with his stick five-hole.
"It was just a good shot from [Orlov]," Backstrom said. "I thought [Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson] had a chance to block it, and I got a tip on it, and it's usually what happens in the playoffs; tip goals or rebound goals. That's the way it is."
Backstrom is tied with Carlson for the Capitals lead with eight points (two goals, six assists) in the series. His game-winning goal was the sixth of his NHL career, tying him with Ovechkin, Peter Bondra and Jason Chimera for the most in Capitals playoff history.
If the Capitals can finish off the Blue Jackets, they'll still have to get past the second-round hurdle they haven't cleared since 1998, and they might run into the Penguins again. The Capitals aren't deep or as talented as they were last season, but maybe they've learned enough lessons through their disappointments to finally break through this time.
"If you look at last year, I've been waiting for this to start," Backstrom said. "Playoffs, it's where everyone wants to be, and I want to play. I want to play for that championship."