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SPORTS Wednesday 25 april 2018
Capitals advance with 6-3 win over Blue Jackets in Game 6

By MITCH STACY to quiet them down.” The
AP Sports Writer story for the Blue Jackets in
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — the four-game stretch was
The Washington Capitals their power-play futility. Af-
can now turn their atten- ter going 4 for 8 with a man
tion to the Pittsburgh Pen- advantage in the first two
guins and avenging some games, the Blue Jackets
playoff disappointments. were 0 for 16 in the last four.
The Capitals won four “Beginning of the series,
straight games over the our power play was going,”
Columbus Blue Jackets af- said Blue Jackets captain
ter fumbling the first two in Nick Foligno, who scored
overtime at home, cap- twice Monday. “We were
ping their opening-round scoring at will. For whatever
playoff series with a 6-3 reason, it dried out. We’ve
victory Monday night in got to figure that out.”
Game 6. Alex Ovech- Pierre-Luc Dubois also
kin scored twice, includ- scored and Sergei Bo- Columbus Blue Jackets’ David Savard, left, knocks the puck away from Washington Capitals’
ing his 50th playoff goal, brovsky finished with 22 Dmitry Orlov, of Russia, during the first period of Game 6 of an NHL first-round hockey playoff
series Monday, April 23, 2018, in Columbus, Ohio.
and Braden Holtby had 35 saves for the Blue Jackets, Associated Press
saves to lift the Capitals, who lost in the first round of it forced us to the limit for games at home in over- sists in the first three playoff
who never trailed after win- the playoffs for the second sure.” time. ... Washington again games... The Blue Jackets
ning in overtime in Game 5 consecutive season and NOTES: Washington is the kept the Blue Jackets’ best are 2-8 at home in four
on Saturday. After Ovech- fourth time overall. They first team in NHL history to player Artemi Panarin off postseason appearances.
kin’s second-period goals, remain the only active NHL win a playoff series after the score sheet after he ... Ovechkin had five goals
Washington never relin- franchise never to win a losing each of the first two had two goals and five as- in the playoff series.q
quished a two-goal lead. playoff series.
Four of the games in the The Capitals struck first
series went to overtime. again Monday night.
The Capitals will again Shortly after Holtby held off
move onto the conference a Columbus barrage, Orlov
semifinals after being elimi- got his first goal of the series
nated by Pittsburgh in the when he skated into the
second round in each of slot and rifled a slap shot
the past two seasons. over Bobrovsky’s glove side
“I think we accomplished with 7:48 left in the first.
what we believed we Foligno got his first of the
could at the beginning playoffs halfway through
of the series,” said Holtby, the second when he
who relieved a struggling snapped a shot past Holtby
Philipp Grubauer in Game from the right circle. That
2 and was great the rest of came soon after the Blue
the way. “We’ll enjoy it a Jackets survived overlap-
bit, rest up and prepare for ping penalties, including 32
the next one.” seconds of a 5-on-3.
Washington coach Barry Ovechkin put back a re-
Trotz didn’t want to talk bound of a shot by Brooks
about Pittsburgh yet. Orpik to make it 2-1 with
“Please let me breathe,” 7:10 left in the second, the
he said. “We haven’t taken 50th playoff goal of the
a breath since this started.” Russian star’s career. He
Chandler Stephenson had then gave the Caps a two-
a goal and an assist, and goal lead with a one-timer
Dimitry Orlov, Devante from the left circle on a
Smith-Pelly and Lars Eller power play.
also tallied Monday for The Blue Jackets tightened
Washington, which never it to 3-2 early in the third
trailed in the game after when Dubois connected.
prevailing in extra time in But Smith-Pelly increased
Game 5 on Saturday. The the Capitals’ lead again 91
Capitals won each of the seconds later. Stevenson
three games in Columbus. got a short-handed goal 1
“I do know on the road it 1/2 minutes later to pad it.
seems like for whatever Foligno got the Blue Jack-
reason we’re focused, ets to 5-3 at 8:22 in the third,
we’re driven,” Washing- but Columbus couldn’t get
ton forward T.J. Oshie said. closer. Eller added an emp-
“It seems like we almost ty-net goal with 14 seconds
like it when an opposing left.
team’s crowd gets into “It was a war out there,”
it. It almost gets us going, Trotz said. “It was a really
too, and makes you want strong series by them, and