That’s the main reason the Rangers are heading to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Led by Lundqvist’s 35 saves in a second consecutive shutout, and goals from some unlikely sources, the Rangers beat the Capitals 5-0 in an anticlimactic Game 7 Monday night, eliminating Washington for the second year in a row.

By winning a Game 7 on the road for the first time in its history, New York completed its comeback after trailing in the series 2-0 and 3-2 — the latest in Washington’s long history of playoff collapses.

“He was really good, but the team was also good, too. I have to give the team some credit. They played hard in front of him,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said, before making sure everyone knew this: “Henrik is our backbone.”

The last NHL goalie with shutouts in Games 6 and 7 of a series was Detroit’s Dominik Hasek in 2002 against Colorado, according to STATS LLC.

Lundqvist, Ovechkin said, did an “unbelievable job; he makes incredible saves.”

Sixth-seeded New York faces the No. 4 Boston Bruins in the second round.

Arron Asham put New York ahead Monday in the first period, before Taylor Pyatt and Michael Del Zotto made it 3-0 early in the second on goals 2:10 apart. Ryan Callahan added a goal 13 seconds into the third period, and when Mats Zuccarello scored with about 13½ minutes remaining, thousands of red-clad fans streamed to the exits.

Soon after, when Lundqvist fell forward to smother a puck, chants of “Hen-reeek! Hen-reeek!” from the no-longer-outnumbered Rangers supporters rose in the arena.

Asked why his team couldn’t score in the final two games, Capitals forward Troy Brouwer replied: “Henrik Lundqvist. Plain and simple.”

From the moment Mike Ribeiro’s overtime goal gave Washington a Game 5 victory, Lundqvist was simply superb.

The Swede stopped all 62 shots he faced in Games 6 and 7, showing exactly why he won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goalie last season and is a finalist this season.

“In a game like this, obviously you’re looking for a great start. I thought we set the tone in the first. You just need a couple of good bounces and we got them tonight. A couple of big goals for us,” Lundqvist said. “When we scored the fourth one, I thought, ‘OK, we got this.’ As long as it’s three, you never know with (the Capitals). They have so much skill, they can turn it around quickly.”

But Washington’s offense, led by two-time MVP Ovechkin, managed to score 12 goals the entire series — and zero over the final six periods.

Indeed, Ovechkin was held without a point in Games 3-7. The Russian wing led the NHL with 32 goals but he heads into the offseason after the longest playoff point drought of his career. He had a goal in Game 1, an assist in Game 2, and that was it.

Ovechkin delivered some big hits early in Game 7, but he was credited with only one shot by the end of the second period, which closed with some boos from the red-clad spectators in the stands.

New York’s top scorer in the regular season, Rick Nash, didn’t have a goal against Washington, but the Rangers found other players to pick up the slack.

While Callahan did have 16 goals this season, the other four Rangers who put pucks past Braden Holtby combined for a total of only 14.

The Rangers-Capitals finale began only a little more than 24 hours after the shoving- and wrestling-filled end of Game 6, which New York won 1-0 on Derick Brassard’s second-period goal and Lundqvist’s seventh career postseason shutout. That, of course, was played at Madison Square Garden, continuing the pattern of the home team winning each of the first six games of the series.

That ended emphatically Monday, in a Game 7 similarly anticlimactic to Washington’s 6-2 loss to Pittsburgh in 2009.

Since the start of the 2008 playoffs — when Washington’s core of Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green made their postseason debuts — the Capitals have appeared in nine series, and this was the seventh to last the full seven games.

They’re now 2-5 in those, and Ovechkin and Co. have never been beyond the second round. Going further back, to 1985, the Capitals have lost nine series in which the club led either 2-0 or 3-1.

Ovechkin, in speaking with a Russian reporter, said he thinks the league wanted a Game 7 in the series, citing a dearth of penalties against the Rangers, though he stopped short of accusing the NHL of match-fixing.

“The refereeing … You understand it yourself,” Ovechkin told reporter Slava Malamud, who translated his interview from Russian to English. “How can there be no penalties at all (on one team) during the playoffs?

“I am not saying there was a phone call from (the league), but someone just wanted Game 7. For the ratings. You know, the lockout, escrow, the league needs to make profit. … I don’t know whether the refs were predisposed against us or the league. But to not give obvious penalties (in the Capitals’ favor), while for us any little thing was immediately penalized…”

Still, there was not much Washington could do with the way Lundqvist performed, helping New York reverse a little bit of playoff misery of its own: Until Monday, the Rangers were 0-5 in Game 7s on the road.

On one spirited shift not quite midway through the opening period, Ovechkin delivered hard hits to John Moore, Steve Eminger and Ryan McDonagh, slamming the latter into the boards to draw loud cheers of “Ovi! Ovi!”

Moments later, 19-year-old Tom Wilson had a close, open look thanks to a steal behind the net by Matt Hendricks, but Lundqvist made the reflex save.

The Capitals had more and better early chances, generally keeping the puck at their offensive end, but it was the Rangers who went ahead 1-0 at the 13:19 mark of the first period — thanks to a quick rush when Washington didn’t get back on defense fast enough.

Green, who led NHL defensemen with 12 goals this season and scored the OT winner in Game 2, skated in for a 1-on-1 chance that Lundqvist kicked away. Tumbling to the ice, Green managed to swat the puck back toward the crease.

Again, Wilson was in the right spot. This time, though, the puck bounced over his stick, and the Rangers raced the other way for a 4-on-2. Chris Kreider, scratched for Games 2-5, sent the puck to Asham, whose shot from the top of the right circle zipped into a tough-to-find spot above Holtby’s shoulder and the crossbar.

It was fourth-line winger Asham’s second goal of the series, matching his output for the entire regular season — and doubling Ovechkin’s postseason total against New York.

Soon after, Ovechkin’s nice pass along the boards freed Jay Beagle for an attempt that Lundqvist batted away. Marcus Johansson was in position for a rebound but couldn’t get it in the net, either.

When Del Zotto’s wrister from the top of the left circle appeared to glance off Brouwer’s skate before sliding through Holtby’s legs, there were still nearly 35 minutes of regulation left, and yet the game felt finished.

The crowd, so boisterous earlier, went silent for stretches as Washington’s fans contemplated another early playoff exit.

Game notes

The Rangers will open on the road against the Bruins, who beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 in overtime in Game 7 Monday. … Ovechkin’s longest span without a point this regular season was three games, something he went through twice: Feb. 14-21 and March 9-12. The Rangers were the opponent in the middle game of both of those droughts.

The post Henrik Lundqvist gets 2nd straight shutout as Rangers ice Caps in 7 appeared first on IdealCapper.

The U.S. had a chance to clinch the group, but finished third and will meet Russia in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Slovakia’s Branko Radivojevic scored 15 seconds into the game when U.S. goaltender Ben Bishop turned the puck over, trying to reach a teammate with a pass.

Martin Bartek made it 2-0 with a goal at 3:44 of the first and Rene Vydareny made it 3-0. Danny Kristo scored for the U.S. in the second period, and Marko Dano added a late empty-net goal.

The U.S. had 23 goals in six games before Tuesday.

“We were hopeful and excited about the opportunity to try to finish first. We were not able to do that but we will be ready for the next opponent,” U.S. coach Joe Sacco said.

“The first two goals were unfortunate, it’s tough to play catch-up. Slovakia made a good job of bottling up the middle of the ice and they protected the front of the net very well. We had a hard time getting there, and when we did their goalie came up big.”

On the first goal, Bishop went behind the net to pick up the puck and pass it to a teammate. He hit the stick of Slovakia forward Tomas Kopecky and the puck went to Radivojevic, who was left with an open net.

“The first one bounced right out in the slot from behind the net. The second one I got to but it just squeaked through,” Bishop said. “Just unlucky goals. Otherwise I think we played a good game, but the other goalie played well. We could have scored five easily. It’s a shame we didn’t win.”

Switzerland won its group, followed by Canada, Sweden and the Czech Republic.

Tomas Fleischmann scored twice and the Czech Republic routed Norway 7-0.

In Stockholm, Switzerland defeated Belarus 4-1 for its best group record at the worlds. The Swiss hope to win a medal for the first time since 1953, when they were third among three teams.

Finland will take on Slovakia after winning its group on Antti Pihlstrom’s overtime goal that gave it a 3-2 win against Latvia.

Canada will play host Sweden, which defeated Denmark 4-2 with two goals and five points from Daniel and Henrik Sedin and defenseman Alexander Edler combined.

Also, Christian Ehrhoff scored two goals, including the overtime winner, as Germany beat France 3-2.

The post Slovakia beats United States appeared first on IdealCapper.

Barret Jackman said his eyes were closed when his first career playoff goal sailed past Jonathan Quick and into the net with 50.6 seconds to go in a 2-1 victory Thursday night. It gave the Blues a 2-0 series lead against the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings.

“He probably didn’t think I was going to shoot, the way my hands are,” Jackman said. “The building erupted, and it’s a pretty good feeling.”

Quick knows he’s to blame for the Kings’ predicament. He was often spectacular in Game 1 but spoiled it with a stickhandling gaffe that led to Alexander Steen’s short-handed overtime goal. Quick thought he would glove the puck on Jackman’s innocent-appearing wrist shot.

“I’ve got to stop that. I’ve got to stop that,” said Quick, the 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy recipient. “It’s my fault. Two games in a row. I’ve got to be better.”

Jackman, a rugged, stay-at-home type who totaled three goals and 12 points in the regular season, joined a rush and scored off a pass from Chris Stewart.

“A great little floater he sent to the net,” said teammate Patrik Berglund, who had tied it earlier in the third period. “A great screen so he couldn’t see it.”

Berglund’s deflection tied it early in the third period for St. Louis, which was swept by the Kings in the second round last season while getting outscored 15-6.

“We stole one there,” said forward David Perron, who assisted on the first goal. “The biggest thing is to come back as soon as we can to earth and get ready for Game 3.”

Dustin Brown scored for the Kings, who’ll try to rebound in Game 3 on Saturday night.

“It’s our own fault that we’re in this position,” defenseman Drew Doughty said. “We’ve been fully prepared for their game, fully prepared for what they’re going to do against us, and we just haven’t stepped up to the plate.

“Tonight was a better effort, but we were only good for two periods.”

The Kings led 3-0 in every playoff series last year and are down 2-0 in a playoff series for the first time since 2002, when they lost in seven games to Colorado.

“It’s four games to win a series, so we’ve just got to focus on the next one,” Brown said. “We’ve got to take care of our home ice. That’s it.”

The Blues responded after coach Ken Hitchcock called a timeout with just less than three minutes remaining. They have won eight in a row at home, allowing one goal in each of the eight games.

Brown lost his edge on a drive to the net and barreled into Brian Elliott midway through the third period, leaving both players shaken up a bit. Brown recovered quickly enough to stay on for the ensuing faceoff.

Berglund tied it at 3:44 of the third with his fourth career playoff goal, charging the net and having a rebound go off his skate and past Quick. He was skidding to a stop when Quick poke-checked a wrist shot by Alex Pietrangelo, and it took less than a minute for the goal to be upheld on video review.

Jaden Schwartz lured Quick out of the net on a break-in a little more than a minute later but didn’t get off a shot.

Quick was bent over in pain for several seconds during warm-ups after stopping a shot, then left the ice early. The goalie also spent most of the national anthem bent over as if he were an NFL offensive lineman but then busily went to work scratching the crease with no evidence he was hurt.

Elliott was not made available to media after the game, leading to speculation he was injured, but Hitchcock said, “He’s fine, no problem.”

The Kings got off to a much better start in Game 2, carrying the play most of the first period. They needed just 6 seconds to convert on a 5-on-3 advantage for their first lead of the series, with Jackman whistled for interference on the heels of a high-sticking call on Ryan Reaves.

L.A.’s strong play carried over to the second period, with Quick making a nice glove save against Steen on the Blues’ lone shot on two power plays.

The Kings threatened on break-ins by Brown and Justin Williams. Brown, among the league leaders with eight power-play goals, then deflected Brad Richards’ high wrist shot from the slot, and the puck dropped to ice level and slid between Elliott’s pads at 9:55. Richards had two goals and three assists during the Kings’ three-game sweep of St. Louis in the regular season.

Game notes

Blues penalty killers had to stop just two chances in Game 1, although it would have been three if Steen hadn’t pickpocketed Quick for the NHL’s first short-handed winner in overtime since Fernando Pisani of Edmonton against Carolina in the 2006 Cup finals, and the first in franchise history. … Blues did not sell out either of the first two games, with attendance of 18,681 for Game 2 about 1,000 shy of capacity. … Brett Hull, the Blues’ career leading goal scorer, was introduced to a huge ovation late in the second period.

The post Barret Jackman’s last-minute goal gives Blues 2-0 series lead appeared first on IdealCapper.