Capitals at Blue Jackets
Columbus Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella offered the second guarantee of his team's Eastern Conference first-round series, and he hopes it goes as well as the first one served up by Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin. Tortorella's Blue Jackets aim to avert a fourth straight loss and stave off elimination on Monday when they host Ovechkin and the Capitals in Game 6 at Nationwide Area.
"I won't have to say a damn word to (my team). We'll be back here for Game 7," Tortorella said moments after Nicklas Backstrom capped a two-goal performance by scoring 11:53 into overtime in Saturday's 4-3 win to give Washington a 3-2 series lead. First things first for Tortorella's charges, who made Ovechkin look like a modern-day Nostradamus when the Capitals made good on his word with a pair of victories in Games 3 and 4 in Columbus to return the series to Washington tied at 2-2. Checking forward Matt Calvert (team-leading three goals) netted his second career two-goal performance in the playoffs in Game 5 and Alexander Wennberg notched an assist in his first game of the series to perhaps instill the confidence needed by Tortorella to make his postseason guarantee. "Well, what else are you going to say?" Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. "That's good. He wants to get it out there (that) he believes in his team, just as I believe in my team. So it's our job for that not to happen, and we're going to try to do that."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CNBC, Sportsnet, TVAS2, NBCS Washington, FS Ohio (Columbus)
ABOUT THE CAPITALS: In addition to his two goals, Backstrom also had an assist to cap a three-point performance to move into a tie with defenseman John Carlson with a team-leading eight points in the series. "We need to come out a little harder and play way better for 60 minutes," the 30-year-old Swede said. "... Sixty minutes, complete game on Monday, but you know it's going to be rocking there in Columbus." Evgeny Kuznetsov scored his fourth goal in Game 5 to claim the club lead in that department from Russian countryman Ovechkin, who was held off the scoresheet for the first time since the series opener and saw his multi-point streak end at three games.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS: While Oliver Bjorkstrand scored in the third period, Columbus was unable to do more damage despite outshooting Washington 16-1 in the session before Backstrom's overtime winner put the Blue Jackets' bid for the franchise's first series win in peril. "Our backs are against the wall, right?" captain Nick Foligno said. "If you can't play your best game come Monday, then that's disappointing. I don't have any worries at all about our group going into Monday." Defenseman Seth Jones followed down that same path, saying "it's do or die. Desperation level is at an all-time high. We feel confident going on our home ice."
OVERTIME
1. Washington G Braden Holtby has turned aside 95 of 101 shots during his team's three-game winning streak.
2. Columbus has seen its power play short-circuit as the team has failed on 13 consecutive opportunities in the last three games after an initial 4-for-8 performance in the first two.
3. The Capitals are 8-for-24 with the man advantage in the series.