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Wrap: Neuvirth Masterpiece Sends Series Back to Philly in 2-0 Win |
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WRAPUP: NEUVIRTH STEALS 2-0 WIN TO SEND SERIES BACK TO PHILADELPHIA
Spectacular goaltending was the big equalizer for the Philadelphia Flyers as goaltender Michal Neuvirth turned in one of the best performances in franchise playoff history as he made 44 saves to steal a 2-0 road win over the Washington Capitals in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
The Flyers were outshot by a 44-11 margin for the game. Their goals were scored by Ryan White and Chris VandeVelde (empty net goal).
Moments after the end of a futile power play, White swept at a loose puck in front of the net and the puck banked in off the skate of Washington defenseman Taylor Chorney at 7:52 of the second period.
After that, the Capitals cranked up the pressure even higher. Neuvirth was under constant siege. Finally, at 19:29 of the third period, VandeVelde had empty-net tap-in to seal the win. Braden Holtby really only saw nine shots for the entire game (the White goal would not have gone on net had it not gone off Chorney's skate) but officially stopped nine of 10.
While Neuvirth's performance was one for the ages, the team also blocked 19 shots on his behalf.
The Flyers power play remained moribund, going 0-for-6. The penalty kill, showing much more aggressive pressure on Nicklas Bäckström on the right side and John Carlson at the point, went 3-for-3. When Neuvirth had to be the Flyers' best penalty killer, he was.
Game Six will be in Philadelphia on Sunday at noon.
1st Period
Right off the opening faceoff, Brayden Schenn obliged a T.J. Oshie fight challenge to avenge a cross-check on Evgeny Kuznetsov in Game 4. Schenn won a lopsided fight.
"Obviously, they didn't like the play I did in the last game, cross-checking. I didn't like it myself. I feel like I'm an honest player. If they ask me to fight I'm going to step up and Oshie asked me the right way and I accepted his challenge," Schenn said.
Nick Schultz got cut by a Nick Schultz high-stick at 1:08, which created a double minor on Justin Williams. Michael Raffl substituted in Schenn's spot on the top unit. The Caps had two easy clears after a Jakub Voracek turnover and a weak entry attempt by the second unit. Holtby made an in-close save. That was the only thing close to a scoring chance in four minutes of poor entry attempts and failed retrievals.
Radko Gudas took a cross-checking penalty at 5:45 as he broke his stick on Karl Alzner at the Philadelphia blueline. As with Game 4, the Flyers tried to be more aggressive in pressuring Nicklas Bäckström and John Carlson. Nick Schultz blocked a Carlson shot. The Flyers' Pierre-Edouard Bellemare failed to clear the zone but then the Caps errantly passed out of the zone. Neuvirth made a tight angle save on Kuznetsov. Neuvirth snared an unscreened Matt Niskanen shot, without a rebound and with two Caps lurking nearby. The penalty was killed.
Voracek was momentarily open in the left slot and put a weak shot on net. Shots were 8-3 Caps through 9:30. At 10:13, Neuvirth made the second of back-to-back stops and Daniel Winnik from up high in the zone and on Jay Beagle from the slot.
Simmonds won a board battle in deep to keep the Bäckström line pinned deep in their own zone. Williams then returned to the penalty box for goaltender interference as he bumped Neuvirth in the crease at 12:05. It was hardly a violent collision but enough to get called.
During the Philadelphia power play, Holtby made difficult save off a re-direction of a Gostisbehere point shot directly off a keep at the left point. A Streit shot at the end of the power play got blocked down.
Neuvirth snared a side-angle shot by Marcus Johansson at 17:33. After the whistle, Schultz and Jason Chimera went off for current roughing minors. Play went to four-on-four. Andrew MacDonald broke up Alex Ovechkin on a one-on-one situation.
Shots in the period were 14-6 Capitals despite the 6-minutes-to-2 power play advantage the Flyers had in the stanza.
2nd Period
Johansson hit a vulnerable Colin McDonald near the player bench and drew a roughing penalty at 2:46. Fifty-five seconds into another uneventual power play, Gostisbehere was called for holding Daniel Winnik's stick as he skated around behind the net after a scoring chance on the other side. As the short Caps power play expired, Ovechkin got through Gudas and was stopped by Neuvirth on the backhand.
Williams took his third high-sticking penalty of the game, clipping Giroux up high at 5:49. Most of the two minutes were spent either in the Philadelphia zone or with the Caps playing four corners.
As it expired, however, the Flyers scored the game's opening goal on what was credited as their first shot of the period. After a blocked shot, Ryan White banked the puck in off Taylor Chorney's skate. Sam Gagner and Mark Streit got the assists at 7:52.
Neuvirth left out a bad rebound on a side angle shot by Tom Wilson but spectacularly recovered just enough to deny Alzner in close and get a whlstle as the puck went out of the referee's sight. The puck was not covered. Neuvirth then made a short side glove save on Kuznetsov with a good box out in front to enable him to see the puck.
Washington continued to press. Shots for the game were 22-8 Caps with 5:38 left in the second period. Schenn landed a solid check on Jay Beagle moments after Beagle tried to hit Schenn but was sidestepped.
Neuvirth made a fine sliding save on Ovechkin and, with the Capitals continuing to forecheck, dived on a loose puck near the net with 3:06 remaining. Neuvirth then made a spectacular diving save on Johansson. The Flyers then promptly turned the puck over attempting to clear it and the Caps attacked again. Neuvirth found a loose puck for a stoppage.
With 1:01 left, White iced the puck.The Caps resumed their forecheck in deep. With 14.1 seconds left and the Bellemare line on ice, Neuvirth calmly found and held a bouncing puck in a scrum in front. The Flyers changed lines. Giroux lost the draw. Chimera crashed into Neuvirth at the side of the net. The goalie got up slowly but went off seeming OK.
Shots in the second period were 16-2 Caps; 30-8 Caps through two periods.
3rd Period
The Flyers had another failed clear in the opening 20 seconds and ended up with a defensive zone faceoff. Bellemare won a draw and the puck exited the zone. After a one and done by Philly, the Caps went the other way and Neuvirth snared a long-distance flip shot by Kuznetsov.
Neuvirth grabbed a 45-foot Ovechkin straight-on shot and held for another save with 18:27 left. The Caps controlled again and Neuvirth robbed Oshie point blank.
Finally, Philly got their first (weak) shot at the net by Gagner. Holtby handled it, although the puck was going wide. Gostisbehere then made a slick lateral move up high and hit the post as he found an open shooting lane.
Schenn went off the ice in pain about four minutes into the period after a neutral zone collision, seemingly favoring his midsection. With 15:32 left, Neuvirth gloved an Orlov shot for a stoppage.
Gostisbehere made a diving denial on a potential 3-on-1 rush, and a seemingly promising counterattack for the Flyers fizzled out as Gagner overskated a puck in the offensive zone. Going back the other way, Neuvirth absorbed a side angle shot by Orlov at 8:08.
A side-angle shot by Simmonds at 6:32 was the Flyers first official shot on goal of the third period.
Chimera drilled Voracek in the numbers into the side boards. He got a two-minute boarding penalty but it looked every bit as bad -- if not worse -- than the Game 3 hit that got Bellemare a major, game misconduct and one-game suspension. Neuvirth was forced to make a spectacular save on Beagle on what turned into a shorthanded 2-on-1.
The Capitals immediately went back to attack mode. At 9:40, with the Flyers hemmed in deep, White was called for interference. Washington went to the power play. An Ocheckin shot rimmed out of the zone down the ice. Gudas made a strong play to separate a Cap from the puck and clear it. Ovechkin's left point blast was denied by Neuvirth's skate. The Flyers got a late clear to kill off the rest.
Voracek, who was OK after the Chimera hit, took a shift in Schenn's spot on the top line. Shots were 40-10 with seven minutes left. Ovechkin then hit the blueline with speed and fired a 100-plus MPH rocket that Neuvirth somehow fought off for his 42nd save of the game.
A Williams neutral zone TO created an odd-man rush for the Flyers but they failed to get a shot on net. At the end of the shift, the puck went out of play in the Washington end with 4:13 left in the third period.
Schenn blocked a shot up high in the defensive zone and out of play with 3:54 left. Then he limped again back to the bench. White laid out to block a shot and then Philly iced the puck with 3:41 remaining -- the Flyers' 100th blocked shot in the series to that point.
Neuvirth juggled and then held on to a rising and curving Carlson point shot for yet another stopping with 3:15 left. Giroux won the next draw.
Gudas blocked a Kuznetsov shot out of play with 2:11 left for another faceoff in the Philly zone. White beat Bäckström on the draw but the Caps forechecked it back into their own possession. The Flyers kept things to the outside and cleared.
Holtby went off for an extra attack with 1:29 left but momentarily came back for a neutral zone faceoff with 1:24 left before returning to the bench for a sixth attacker. Philadelphia iced the puck with 1:02 left. Washington called timeout.
The Caps won the draw. Johansson hit the outside of the puck. The puck was cleared, and VandeVelde got an empty net tap-in with 30.8 seconds left. Bellemare got the assist at 19:29. Neuvirth completed his 44-save shutout.
Third period shots were 14-3; 44-11 for the game.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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