WASHINGTON — Followers’ cheers introduced Ilya Samsonov near tears on the way in which to his first NHL playoff victory.
Chants of “Sammy! Sammy!” adopted one among many essential saves he made in Washington’s 6-1 rout of Florida in Sport 3 on Saturday. Samsonov rebounded after permitting an early objective and the Capitals bounced again from a blowout loss in Sport 2 to take a lead within the sequence towards the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Panthers.
Samsonov made 29 saves in his first begin this postseason, taking on for Vitek Vanecek and giving teammates and coach Peter Laviolette precisely what they hoped for out of a goaltender whose play ranges from stellar to suspect. From massive saves in tight on Florida captain Aleksander Barkov to the cease on Sam Reinhart that ignited the chants, this was the perfect of Samsonov on the most opportune time.
“I'm prepared on a regular basis,” he stated. “Typically you begin playoffs, typically one other goalie, however you must prepare for each recreation. I perceive if you wish to win, you must win 16 video games.”
The Capitals would take two extra this spherical to begin. Sport 4 is Monday in Washington.
Alex Ovechkin scored on the ability play and assisted on T.J. Oshie’s power-play objective.
Marcus Johansson, Trevor van Riemsdyk and Garnet Hathaway additionally scored and John Carlson contributed an empty-netter for the Capitals, who shook off a 5-1 loss in Sport 2 and an early deficit in Sport 3 behind the play of their new beginning goaltender and a stingy effort that stymied the NHL’s finest regular-season offense.
“Everyone knows playoffs have their swings and momentums,” stated Oshie, who redirected Ovechkin’s shot previous Sergei Bobrovsky for his objective. “A group wins one recreation, the opposite group goes to make some changes and are available at you twice as onerous the following recreation.
They did that in Sport 2 and it was our flip to reply in Sport 3, and I feel the boys did a very good job from the drop of the puck all through.”
Samsonov received the nod over Vanecek in internet after stopping all 17 pictures in aid Thursday. He received off to a tough begin, giving up a objective to league MVP candidate Jonathan Huberdeau lower than three minutes in — then stopped each shot he noticed the remainder of the way in which.
“Somewhat bit nervous the primary 5 minutes, however it’s simply regular for a goalie,” Samsonov stated. “After a pair saves, I really feel fairly good bodily, mentally.”
With Samsonov the spine at even power and short-handed, Washington’s penalty kill improved to 9 of 9 towards Florida, which ranked fifth on the ability play this season at slightly below 25%. The Panthers additionally led the league in scoring at greater than 4 objectives a recreation.
However this sequence towards an opponent with extra expertise in postseason hockey — seven gamers stay from Washington’s 2018 Stanley Cup championship — has been one other tough lesson for the Panthers about tips on how to win the playoffs. Sick-advised penalties by top-pairing defenseman Mackenzie Weegar and Huberdeau paved the way in which for the power-play objectives, a missed defensive task opened the door for Johansson’s and a turnover within the nook led to van Riemsdyk’s.
“To me, frustration’s taken over, for some purpose,” interim coach Andrew Brunette stated. “Whenever you get annoyed, it normally means you’re not working onerous sufficient. Our compete has not been what it has been all yr. It might be nerves. However we now have to discover a manner. You get annoyed once you’re not working onerous. That’s form of the case proper now. You do undisciplined issues since you’re annoyed.”
Related errors value Florida within the first spherical final yr: a loss to Tampa Bay on the way in which to the Lightning’s second of back-to-back titles. Solely this time, the Panthers have been anticipated to make a deep run after compiling an NHL-best 122 factors on 58 victories in 82 video games.
In the event that they don’t win three extra over the following week, it’ll go down as one other disappointment for a franchise that hasn’t superior within the playoffs since 1996 and entered the postseason as one of many favorites to hoist the Cup. Defenseman Brandon Montour stated the Panthers “weren’t actually able to play.”
“It’s playoff hockey — it’s going to be tight,” Monour stated. “We’ve simply received to play tougher. That’s the place it begins.”
The Jap Convention eighth-seeded Capitals improved to 4 of 12 on the ability play within the sequence. Their victory assured at the very least two extra house playoff video games this spring, although Monday gained’t be a straightforward one towards the indignant Panthers and Laviolette is aware of it.
“If we don’t observe it up, then that’s on us,” he stated. “It’s received to be pointed from proper now. We’ve received to guarantee that our mindset is figuring out precisely the place they’re at.”
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