"They had 11 shots. That says it all right there,"Barry Trotz said. "...I thought that was our best game, and we let it all out there, and full credit to the whole group."
The New York Islanders fired 11 shots on Braden Holtby - all night. The were able to squeak one by him, an error by Holtby letting a weak shot slip through his legs. However the Washington Capitals were able to fight back and win off a goal by Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Kuznetsov is quickly becoming a playoff hero for the Caps. In the last three games, he has tallied three goals and one assist.
He's not John Druce yet, but Kuznetsov is certainly showing that he can be quite a companion piece to Alex Ovechkin in scoring, much like Alex Semin was back in the day.
Joel Ward proved himself worthy of yet another Game 7 accolade, scoring in the second period for the Caps to take the lead 1-0. Frans Nielson scored in the third for the Isles after he fired a shot from the blue line that slipped through Hotlby's pads.
It was a pretty even game until Kuznetsov danced around the Islanders defense from the corner and past Halak to take the lead for the Capitals.
"Kuzy made an unbelievable play," Joel Ward said. "I wouldn't know how to describe that play to be honest."
"It's sick'" said Ovechkin.
The Capitals shut down the Islanders well, however the few shots they did let up were frustratingly too close for comfort. With the they played tonight though, it was exciting to see Washington play like a playoff team instead of a run-of-the-mill team that exits in the first round every year - or like San Jose in the past.
The Rangers are next and it will be very, very difficult for the Caps. However tough, Washington knows for sure that they will be ready:
"It’s not our best game because our best game is coming soon," Kuznetsov said of tonight and for good reason... ...They had better be ready for the Rangers.
Go Caps!
More to come...
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