Washington Capitals Team Report

The Caps finally did what they needed to on offense against the Penguins, and that's why there will be a Game 7 in this wildly entertaining Eastern Conference semifinal. Alex Ovechkin had done too much for the Caps, and they weren't getting any help from their complementary scorers on offense. He didn't get many good scoring chances in this game, but Viktor Kozlov, Alexander Semin, Tomas Fleischmann and David Steckel did. In fact, Steckel got the game-winning overtime goal that gave the Caps a spine-tingling 5-4 victory in Game 6 and forced the finale in Washington on Wednesday night. The Caps didn't dominate the game offensively as they've done so many times this season. They've rarely done it in this series as the Penguins have too much speed and skill for the Caps in certain situations. But the Caps are able to counter-attack and get some great rushes and scoring chances. Despite being out-shot, 42-24, the Caps came up with numerous opportunities. In fact, many of them came from the second, third and fourth lines, all of which played very well at different times. Steckel was magnificent again "He's a big-game player," said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau getting the game-winner and making so many other big plays. Kozlov, the cagey veteran, gets two goals the Caps desperately needed, and Fleischmann, who was in a slump throughout parts of the post-season and got knocked down to the fourth line, came up with a huge goal. Ovechkin actually finished with three assists on this night, but it was the goal-scoring work of everyone else that saved the day. Now the Caps go back to Washington for Game 7. Boudreau gets the advantage of having the final line change at home, something that could make a difference as he tries to get good match-ups. It means even more when the team's second, third and fourth line are finding ways to score, taking the pressure off Ovechkin. If the Caps can win without Ovechkin needing to score, they are such a talented group. CAPITALS 5, PENGUINS 4 (OT): Welcome back, Alexander Semin. The Caps and their fans have missed you for much of this series. He's been on the ice but hasn't do much. But he did plenty in this game, finishing with two assists one on a spectacular play where Semin kept the puck alive after a delayed penalty was called, letting goalie Simeon Varlamov get off the ice and an extra attacker come on to help the Caps. As good as Alex Ovechkin is, Semin sometimes can be better, taking shots that it's hard to imagine anyone else taking. When Semin is on, the Caps can be close to unbeatable.NOTES, QUOTESThe Caps somehow stayed alive in this game despite playing a horrible first period. You name it, they couldn't do it right in the first 20 minutes and were so lucky to be down only 1-0 after one. The Penguins held a huge 18-5 edge in shots and seemingly held the puck the entire way. G Simeon Varlamov didn't have a moment's break, but the Caps settled down after that and got back into the game. Overtime hadn't been the Caps' time in the playoffs. They lost both overtime games in this playoff series, thanks to unlucky deflections, and had dropped seven in a row in the extra periods until this one. That should give the Caps some confidence heading into Game 7, especially if that one goes to overtime. The Caps' interesting success in the face of possible elimination games continued on this night. They're now 6-1 in games where they face elimination under coach Bruce Boudreau. Interestingly enough, they're 3-0 on the road in those situations, an impressive statistic for any team. The Caps are 1-1 in Game Sevens with Boudreau at the helm, losing last year to the Flyers in overtime but beating the Rangers this year in the first round. Coach Bruce Boudreau didn't make a move with his lineup, keeping it the same and not inserting Donald Brashear, a move the coach considered but didn't make. That's a mild surprise, as Brashear is a leader who helps the team and plays a big role as their muscle man. Let's see if Boudreau puts him in for Game 7. QUOTE TO NOTE: "I was in the right place at the right time. I personally didn't know where it went or anything. It was the biggest goal of my career, so I didn't know what to do. I just jumped around." David Steckel, in an AP story after scoring the game-winning goal.ROSTER REPORT GOALTENDERS: Simeon Varlamov, Jose Theodore. DEFENSEMEN: Brian Pothier, Mike Green, Tom Poti, John Erskine, Shaone Morrisonn, Milan Jurcina. FIRST LINE: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Viktor Kozlov. SECOND LINE: Brooks Laich, Sergei Fedorov, Alexander Semin. THIRD LINE: David Steckel, Boyd Gordon, Matt Bradley. FOURTH LINE: Tomas Fleischmann, Jay Beagle, Chris Clark. PLAYER NOTES: C/LW David Steckel came through again. Coach Bruce Boudreau has talked about Steckel's success under him in the big games and post-season contests when both were at Hershey in the AHL. Steckel scored only eight goals in the regular season, but he's gotten three already in the post-season this spring and they've all come at huge times. The game-winner Monday night was a great play where he redirected a Brooks Laich wrister from the right circle past G Marc-Andre Fleury for the game-winner at 6:22 of overtime. He also won 11 of 15 face-offs.RW Alexander Semin made one of the best plays of the post-season on Monday night. The officials were calling the Penguins for a delayed penalty after Semin got taken down on a rush. He got up found the puck, kept the play going to let an extra attacker make it on the ice, and LW Tomas Fleischmann wound up chipping home the rebound of C Sergei Fedorov's shot. It was a very smart hockey play that you won't see often, and Semin could do so much more. RW Viktor Kozlov again came through in a big way. With LW Alex Ovechkin often bottled up through most of the night, Kozlov scored twice. His first came on a brutal wrist shot and his second was on a play that came from sheer hustle, when Kozlov chased down a loose puck in the left corner, saw that G Marc-Andre Fleury got tangled up with one of his defensemen, and fired a bullet into the open net from a sharp angle. Kozlov seems to have a knack for coming through when the Caps need him. LW Alex Ovechkin still found a way to help even though he couldn't often get free to fire some of his cannon shots. Ovechkin finished with three assists although he got only five shots overall he's often getting off nine or 10 in a game. But Ovechkin kept working and going after the puck and hitting people. MEDICAL WATCH:G Brent Johnson (hip surgery) could return later in the playoffs.LW Quintin Laing (torn spleen) is out for the season.D Jeff Schultz (upper body injury) is day-to-day.RW Eric Fehr (undisclosed) is day-to-day.