Doing Things the Hard Way
Oh, such sorrow.
Coming so bitterly close to victory, only to fall victim to what can only be described as a miracle at MSG, the Washington Capitals squandered the grandest of playoff opportunities.
On the surface, losing 3-2 to the Rangers in overtime isn't exactly the most disheartening outcome, yet when you peek inside the box score you quickly come to understand the kind of advantage the Capitals let slip away.
Having gained a 2-1 lead earlier in the third period, the Caps were well on their way to staving off the Rangers on their home turf. Though outplayed at many times, the Capitals were buoyed by another impressive effort from Braden Holtby. Holding his team in the game long enough to allow them the opportunity to grab a lead, it seemed like Washington was on the verge of achieving the near impossible; a series lead.
Unfortunately, with less than a minute to play in regulation, Joel Ward got his stick up in the face of Carl Hagelin, cutting the Rangers forward on the play and earning a dangerous four minute minor.
Seated in the Garden's penalty box, Ward then experienced the worst feeling a professional hockey player can experience.
Watching in horror as the Rangers clustered around Holtby and the Caps net, the Caps hero from round one witnessed a loose pick find its way through a scrum to Brad Richards stick.
Had it been anyone else but Richards, who knows whether or not New York would have managed the impossible. Yet, casting aside the what-ifs and focusing on what is now reality, Ward and his teammates shuddered as the Rangers leading scorer shoveled the puck narrowly past Holtby's stick, underneath a defending John Carlson's arm - slightly catching Carlson's jersey - but not enough to prevent the puck from bouncing off the iron and flipping into the back of the Capitals heavily guarded net.
Like the cataclysmic explosion of a volcano, Madison Sqaure Garden erupted with a sonic blast of sound, reverberating straight through to the homes of Caps fans in DC and of those watching their beloveds squander the most important victory of the year.
Yet, though the Rangers managed to squeak Game Five to a do-or-die overtime, the Caps still had an opportunity to salvage the game, all they needed to do was kill off the second half of Joel Ward's untimely high-sticking penalty.
Though he may have felt like a god in potting the series winning tally against the Bruins, there's no hiding that Ward felt like a goat heading into that dressing room between periods last night.
Yet, as has been the case since the start of these playoffs, whether they were going to win or lose, these Caps were going to do it as a team.
So, pushing forward into overtime, the Caps knew they would need a monumental effort to purge the energy gained in MSGfrom New York's last second equalizer. Again, all they needed to do was kill off the penalty and regroup, something they'd managed many times before in these playoffs, yet that was not to be.
Having made a living out of gaining confidence through their penalty kill, the Caps simply could not contain the Rangers opening power play wave in OT.
Committing to the desperation of the situation, Brooks Laich and Matt Hendricks did everything they could to get in the way of Marc Staal's eventual game winning blast, yet perhaps too much so as the forwards ultimately screened netminder Braden Holtby from seeing the puck until it was too late. Launching a shot from the right point, Staal's shot found its way off Brooks Laich's stick, redirecting over Holtby's outstretched glove hand and into the back of the Caps net.
Signaling the second ear splitting eruption of the night, the Caps and Joel Ward couldn't contain their frustration and anger as their rivals celebrated what, in their minds, should have rightly been their win.
Yet,so goes the dangerous rigmarole that is the playoffs.
One second your on top of the world, the next you couldn't get any lower.
And before everyone gets out the pitchforks for Joel Ward, the defacto culprit for the Capitals late game collapse, the forward was nothing but responsible for his actions. Awaiting reporters at the end of the game, Ward embodied what has become the most impressive version of this team that I have covered over the last five years. Standing tall and answering the hard questions, Ward's actions speak to the strength these Caps have gained this spring.
There is nothing harder than suffering such a deflating loss, yet the Capitals know they are bigger than their failures and that one letdown will not compromise what has been a renaissance of sorts for this club.
Ward will be held up by his teammates, and the same will go for Braden Holtby. Undoubtedly, both are likely mired by guilt courtesy of last nights outcome, yet if Washington has any hope of recovering from their most devastating loss to date, they are going to have to do it as a team.
In trying to perfect his playoff model, Dale Hunter never doubted he and his troops would encounter bumps in the road. It's the only road to be traveled if you wish to achieve true success.
For the Rangers, the win embodies everything their coach has taught them to believe in and, while the Caps will be charged with accomplishing a miracle of their own in Game Six, the win last night is the kind that sculpts teams into winners.
Piled on to their triple overtime win and there's no doubt New York is feeling confident after last night's win, yet as I have said since the start of this series, neither team can afford to get too far ahead of themselves.
Perhaps that's what happened last night. On the precipice of holding the advantage, the overwhelming emotions of such a pressurized situation can often lead to the unexpected. Precisely what happened for both teams last night.
However they managed to get to this point in this series, the truth remains the same; one game at a time.
Neither the Caps or Rangers can allow themselves to suffer another lapse, for the next one could very well be the series deciding blow for either team.
With little time to dwell on last night, both clubs are back at work today, practicing in preparation of what is the biggest game of the playoffs for each side.
On the ropes and now facing elimination, now is the time for these Caps to believe in themselves like never before. It's intimidating to be in this kind of position, yet in having overcome so many playoff demons already this post-season, the Capitals can conquer the biggest ones with a victory tomorrow night.
Can they? Do you think this team has it in them to fend off elimination tomorrow night?
Or will last night's victory fuel the Rangers with enough confidence to vault them to the Conference Finals?
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