T.J. Oshie scored twice and Branden Holtby made 24 saves as the Washington Capitals defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-0 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.
That sets up an all-or-nothing Game 7 on Wednesday night in Tampa Bay, with the winner advancing to face the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Capitals played a physical, hard-checking game at home on Monday, grinding down Tampa Bay in a way that they hope will pay off in the final game of the series.
“You’ve got to wear them down,” Capitals winger Devante Smith-Pelly said. “We’ve been on the body all game and all series. If it shows up in Game 7 where guys are starting to get tired, then it was all worth it.”
Capitals Power Play Delivers
After a scoreless first period, the Capitals broke through late in the second. After Braydon Coburn took a two-minute penalty for hooking, Washington’s power play sprang into action, and T.J. Oshie scored his first goal of the series off a pass from Nicklas Backstrom.
“He’s such an easy player to have chemistry with,” Oshie told NBC Sports’ Pierre McGuire about Backstrom. “He sees the ice so well, he’s always looking to make the pass and he usually can hold on to the puck for long enough for you to get into an open spot.”
Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy kept his team in the game, saving 31 of the 33 shots he faced. But a goal by Smith-Pelly with 10 minutes remaining in the game gave the Capitals a two-goal edge, and Oshie contributed an empty netter with 50 seconds left on the clock to give Washington their three-goal margin of victory.
Lightning Lacked Urgency
According to Lightning coach Jon Cooper, his team simply didn’t show up in the same way their opponents did.
“We didn’t play with the near-desperation they did,” Cooper said after the game.” What were hits, 39-19? Somebody was engaged, and somebody wasn’t.”
Tampa Bay winner Ryan Callahan agreed with his coach’s assessment.
“They played like their lives were on the line, and we played like we had another chance,” Callahan told reporters. “That’s unfortunate, but we’ve got to change the script now in Game 7.”
While Tampa Bay will have home ice advantage for Game 7, it’s unlikely that the Capitals are feeling worried about having to play on the road. Washington already won the first two games of the series in Tampa, and the team has put together an impressive 7-2 road record so far in the playoffs.
But the Lightning are also 6-3 at home, and they remain a slight favorite to close out the series and continue on to the Stanley Cup Final. Bovada has posted Tampa Bay as a -145 favorite over the visiting Capitals (+125).
Those odds reflect a series that has been tight from the start, and one in which both teams have reason to feel confident heading into what is now a one-game playoff for a chance to play for the Stanley Cup.
“I think it’s great that we’re close,” Oshie said after Game 6. “I think both teams for the most part figured out what works against the other team. It’s just a matter of who’s going to play longer, harder, and do more of it.”