NATIONALS: Fifty Games Later, Michael Morse Has His Opening Day

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By ZAC BOYER | zboyer@freelancestar.com | @ZacBoyer

WASHINGTON – Michael Morse ordered special black-and-red cleats to wear on April 5, with “Opening” printed on the back of the left shoe and “Day” on the right.

He wore them Saturday.

“It’s better late to the party than never,” Morse said, smiling.

Morse had plenty to celebrate last season, when he hit .303 with 31 home runs and 95 RBIs for the Washington Nationals. Though it took significantly longer than he expected and required considerable patience, the slugger made his debut Saturday in the Nationals’ 2-0 victory over Atlanta, returning after missing the first 50 games because of a strained lat muscle.

Morse went 0-for-4 in his return – far different from the “4-for-4 with four home runs, maybe a couple grand slams” he envisioned. What he didn’t forsee was the applause and a partial standing ovation from the 41,042 in attendance before his first at-bat in the second inning, which he said gave him goosebumps.

His day ended in the ninth with the Nationals holding the two-run lead, with manager Davey Johnson pulling him for defense and shifting Bryce Harper from center field to make room for Rick Ankiel.

“He looked good,” Johnson said. “I said, ‘Don’t get the idea that I’m gonna be defending for you,’ but it worked out just perfect. He got four at-bats, and he should be fresh for [the next game].”

The Nationals started 29-21 without the player Johnson has said on multiple occasions was the team’s best hitter last year. His ability aside, Morse’s return provides a right-handed power bat to balance lefties Adam LaRoche and Harper and fills the void left by Jayson Werth, who broke his left wrist early last month and will be out until after the all-star break.

“Mikey Mo is an unbelievable player and an unbelievable player, so when you get a guy like that back in your lineup, everyone’s excited,” Xavier Nady said. “I don’t care what the situation is – he makes our lineup that much better, and obviously, a middle [of the lineup] presence, it’s a lot more difficult for opposing pitchers, and hopefully we do our part.”

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound right-handed slugger had a breakout season last year after he languished as a part-time player for Seattle for four seasons, was traded to the Nationals at the deadline in 2009 and was in his first year as a regular in the lineup.

Morse originally experienced tightness in his side on March 6 while taking practice swings before a spring training game against Atlanta. He thought he’d only miss a few games and served as a designated hitter a week later, but the soreness never went away.

Opening day came and went, and rather than joining Nationals cold in New York for a three-game series against the Mets on April 9, he instead made a rehab appearance at Single A Hagerstown. Early in that game, Morse aggravated the muscle making a throw from left field, and general manager Mike Rizzo said before the team’s home opener on April 12 that Morse would be shut down completely for six weeks as there was no viable surgical option.

“The injury itself, it’s something so rare,” Morse said. “It’s rare in baseball, so you know, I just dug down. I said, ‘I did this before in my career. I’ve done it too many times. You know, this is not something I can’t come back from.’”

Morse didn’t spend the six weeks completely inactive. He began swinging and throwing in mid-May, five weeks after the rehab appearance, and reported to the Nationals’ spring training complex in Viera, Fla. on May 21 to begin working back into game shape.

He made three appearances for Single A Potomac, the first two as the designated hitter and the third in right field, and went 3-for-9 with an RBI. The results were encouraging, and on Friday, Morse was activated from the disabled list, with outfielder Corey Brown heading back to Triple A Syracuse.

The outfield lineup Johnson trotted out Saturday – Steve Lombardozzi in left, Harper in center and Morse in right – will be what the Nationals use going forward. Nady will give Lombardozzi a break on occasion against lefties, while Ankiel and Roger Bernadina will get a handful of bats as late-inning defensive replacements.

Washington gutted out wins in April despite struggling to hit and score runs, but began pulling it together in May. It’s a more favorable circumstance for Morse, who would prefer to ease back into the lineup one step at a time.

“I hope I’m that rabbit’s foot, but like I said, I’m not going to try to do anything different,” Morse said. “I’m not going to try to play out of my regular game or anything like that. I’m just gonna go out there and have some good at-bats and help this team win like they’ve been doing.”

Stacey’s eggplant parmesan

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This recipe from Fredericksburg resident Stacey McLaughlin is an adaption of a recipe from the America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients:
2 globe eggplants sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup white wheat flour
4 eggs
4 cups panko breadcrumbs
3 ounces parmesan
6 tblsp canola oil
4 cups tomato sauce–I use Rao’s (available at Wegmans)
8 oz mozzarella, shredded
10 basil leaves
Instructions:
Toss eggplant with 1 tsp salt and let sit for 45 minutes to sweat
Wipe eggplant of all salt
Heat oven to 400
Bread each slice, dredging in flour first, then egg, then panko
Put slices on greased cookie sheet
Put in oven for 10 min
Take out and  flip each piece; then bake for another 10 minutes
Pour 1/2 jar of sauce in bottom of pan–line eggplant slices like shingles in the pan
Top with rest of sauce and mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese
Bake for 20 minutes until bubbly and well browned-
Take out and top with basil.
I serve pasta with sauce on side along with steamed broccoli–so yummy!

Chris’ Lentil Salad

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Chris Kerr’s Lentil Salad

Take one package of Melissa’s pre-cooked lentils and  heat until they break apart easily. (You can use another brand, and you can buy uncooked lentils and cook them yourself.  Using packaged, pre-cooked lentils is a timesaver.)

Then add in:

  • one red or yellow pepper, chopped
  • one de-seeded cucumber, chopped
  • about 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parley
  • 1 de-seeded tomato (optional)
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon

Next, add in vinaigrette (see below for recipe)

Finally, crumble feta cheese on top (optional)

Chris Kerr’s Vinaigrette

one or two shallots, finely chopped
1/3 cup white wine vinegar

Combine the shallots and vinegar, add a dash of kosher salt and soak for a while. Then whisk in the following ingredients:

2/3 cup olive oil
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp of lemon

Whisk until well mixed, then drizzle over the salad.

HORSE RACING: I’ll Have Another Wins Preakness, Aims For Triple Crown

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By ZAC BOYER | zboyer@freelancestar.com | @ZacBoyer

BALTIMORE – Doug O’Neill and Mario Gutierrez stood together in the paddock at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday, the anxiety building steadily as post time for the Preakness Stakes drew near.

O’Neill, the easygoing trainer, assumed the pressure had to be building on the young jockey. The two had guided I’ll Have Another to one of the more thrilling finishes in Kentucky Derby history two weeks ago, upsetting favorite Bodemeister on the final stretch, and the burden that follows can be difficult for anyone, let alone someone so inexperienced, to handle.

Gutierrez, though, wanted no part of O’Neill’s good-natured blustering.

“Now, if Bodemeister goes real easy, you want me to press him, right?’ Gutierrez said.

O’Neal gave in.

“Mario, you know the horse,” O’Neill replied. “Just ride him to the best of your ability.”

Gutierrez did, and in a race eerily reminiscent of what happened at Churchill Downs, Gutierrez and I’ll Have Another ran down their main competition, edging Bodemeister by a neck to keep alive a chance at the first Triple Crown since 1978.

The horse, which opened at 5-2 odds and went off at 3-1, paid $8.40, $3.20 and $2.80 after winning in 1:55.94, the fourth to do so in the No. 9 spot. Bodemeister, the favorite, opened at 8-5, was 2-1 at post time and paid $3.20 and $2.80, while third-place Creative Cause paid $3.60.

Bodemeister took the lead into the first turn as I’ll Have Another kept stride three lengths back, and it wasn’t until after the final turn and the final 350 yards of the 1 3/16-mile track that Gutierrez pushed his horse.

He first overcame Creative Cause before easing ahead with no more than 20 yards remaining, drawing a roar from a record crowd of 121,309 that sat through a near-perfect day with clear skies and a temperature near 80.

“It’s a great feeling when you’re riding a horse and it’s giving you 100 percent,” Gutierrez said. “It’s a great feeling. He’s an amazing horse.”

J. Paul Reddam, who purchased the horse for $35,000, said it wasn’t until those final 20 yards that he knew Gutierrez had the victory in hand.

“I think today went at what I would call a reasonable pace,” said Reddam, who named the horse after his typical response when his wife, Zillah, makes cookies. “He didn’t have trouble, but he was certainly wide in the first turn. He shows that he’s the real deal. He’s a real race horse. He gutted it out.”

Gutierrez, an unproven jockey from Veracruz, Mexico who had been racing in Vancouver, first rode I’ll Have Another to victory at the Robert B. Lewis Stakes in California in February before following up with a victory at the Santa Anita Derby on April 7.

Still, the focus was on Bodemeister, jockey Mike Smith and trainer Bob Baffert, with the common thought that the colt’s late collapse two weeks ago wouldn’t happen at Pimlico, a shorter track. It did.

“It just got a little late there at the end, and the winner’s a good horse,” Baffert said. “It was a good horse race. I really can’t complain.”

Reddam’s horse will head to Belmont Park this morning to prepare for June 9, when it will attempt to be the first since Affirmed to win the Triple Crown 34 years ago.

Could they have yet another?

“Look, there are a lot of horses that have been in this position the last 15 years, and it didn’t happen for them,” said Reddam, with the most recent being Big Brown in 2008. “We’re only two-thirds there, right? We’ve got to be cool and try to block everything out.

“When we get to the Belmont, just ride the race, and if it happens, it happens.”

CAPITALS: Washington Hoping Experience A Factor In Game 7

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By ZAC BOYER | zboyer@freelancestar.com | @ZacBoyer

ARLINGTON – Alex Ovechkin doesn’t keep many Game 7 moments fresh in his mind.
Sure, he could cite the victory over the New York Rangers in 2009 as a bright spot, one which allowed the Washington Capitals to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals despite falling down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.

He could even look back to the overtime victory over Boston in the first round, which allowed the Capitals the opportunity to play in the decisive game against the Rangers tonight.

“Most important thing is we just have to win them,” Ovechkin said. “Sometimes memory is good, sometimes memory is bad.”

Two weeks of back-and-forth playoff hockey will be put to rest tonight for one of two teams as the Capitals head to Madison Square Garden looking to finish off the Rangers for the third time in four years.

The winner of the series will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, where it will play New Jersey for a shot at the Stanley Cup.

Washington has only advanced in the playoffs three of the 10 times it played in a Game 7, though nine of those occasions are ancient history. It’s the most recent, the 2-1 victory at Boston on April 25, that the Capitals find they can draw the most experience from.

The game tonight figures to mirror that one – much like the entire series has. All seven games against the Bruins were decided by one goal, and with the exception of a 3-1 victory by New York in Game 1, every other game has been won by the team with the single-goal advantage.

While the games have been tight, the Capitals’ approach has not. A light-hearted practice Thursday was also reminiscent of the day before Washington’s decisive seventh game against the Bruins – one in which head coach Dale Hunter said his advice to his players was merely to go out and have fun.

“Each day that you’re still here is an earned day,” center Brooks Laich said. “There are other teams that are sitting at home and you have to keep earning your days to play. … I think that’s why you see people still having fun – they really appreciate being able to come to the rink. And we’re right in the thick of things, in a Stanley Cup chase, playing good hockey against good hockey teams – it’s a very exciting time of year.”

The Rangers, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, are 4-0 in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden since the building was renovated in its current form in 1968. That total also includes a victory over Ottawa in the first round, giving New York its own recent history to draw upon for guidance.

But for the Capitals’ core group of Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Mike Green and Nicklas Backstrom, it will be the sixth time they’ve played in a deciding game since 2008.

“You just got to go with your instincts,” Green said. “We’re so focused on our game plan and our system that everything should just come natural to us. And just play – play with everything you have and don’t leave anything behind. That’s Game 7 right there.”

The Capitals played what was certainly their most complete game of the postseason – and maybe even the regular season – on Wednesday, a 2-1 victory in Game 6. Ovechkin scored 1:28 into the game on a power play, Jason Chimera added an insurance goal midway through the second period and Braden Holtby didn’t allow a goal until the final minute, when the Rangers pulled Henrik Lundqvist from net.

“With two days off, we’re going to see a good game,” Hunter said. “There’s going to be fresh legs. I think both teams are going to come out and play hard because there’s more energy.”

The last time the Capitals made it to the Eastern Conference Finals was in 1998, when they defeated Buffalo in six games before being swept by Detroit in the Stanley Cup Finals.

For a team that entered the season with such high expectations, an opportunity to play for the conference championship could lead to several unforgettable moments.

“You’re playing for your life,” Laich said. “You’re playing to continue to chase your dream. It’s a tough thing to do, to eliminate a team, because their dream is to win the Stanley Cup, and to take that from somebody is a very tough thing to do. Game Sevens usually turn out to be very tough hockey games.”

CAPITALS: Early Goals Crucial Late As Washington Forces Game 7

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By ZAC BOYER | zboyer@freelancestar.com | @ZacBoyer

WASHINGTON – When Marian Gaborik scored with 50.5 seconds remaining, Braden Holtby knew the goal was not going to start another New York Rangers rally. Not again. Not on Wednesday.

It didn’t matter – the Rangers didn’t have a chance to. New York couldn’t muster another shot afterward, and the Capitals, ahead by two goals for nearly half the game, forced a decisive Game 7 with a 2-1 victory over the Rangers at Verizon Center on Wednesday.

The Capitals were ahead by one goal for much of Game 5 in New York on Monday, but saw the lead evaporate with 7.6 seconds left before eventually falling in overtime.

A similar double-minor penalty for high-sticking came midway through the second period, though the Capitals were able fight through it and hold strong even when the Rangers pulled goalie Henrik Lundqvist with 2:40 to play.

“I don’t think that crept into any of our heads,” said Holtby, who stopped 30 shots. “It’s just a thing that happened in the game. Four-minute penalties happen, and we did a good job killing it off.”

Alex Ovechkin scored 1:28 in on a power play and Jason Chimera added the difference midway through the second period for Washington, which led by two for the first time since Game 2. The Capitals had plenty of chances – a pass through the legs in the crease, a clank off the crossbar – that it could have just as easily been a four- or five-goal game.

Through much of their rollercoaster postseason, the Capitals remained loose, jovial and excitable in the locker room. Players said that approach, coming from Hunter, has helped; their attitude for Game 7 against Boston was to go out, play hockey and have fun.

Things were considerably different before the game Wednesday, with more desperation apparent. Players spoke of trying to maintain a focused, emotionless approach – one they hoped would lead to a fast start with an early goal.

That’s what they got with Ovechkin’s power play one-timer – a goal manufactured through strong passing at the blue line between Mike Green and John Carlson. When Carlson sent the puck forward to Nicklas Backstrom, he in turn sent it back to Ovechkin in the high slot, who pulled back with the one-timer and his 30th career playoff goal, tying him with Peter Bondra for the most in franchise history.

“We had a good start there and then we just kept going,” Backstrom said.

Chimeras goal, 10:59 into the second period, came on even strength and was also assisted by Backstrom, but it wasn’t as well-orchestrated. Carlson’s slap shot from the right point deflected off Backstrom’s left leg and to Chimera on the left side of the crease, who had the early dump-in on a tied-up Lundqvist.

“He’s been very good right from the start of the year,” Capitals coach Dale Hunter said of Chimera, who scored his fourth playoff goal. “He’s got great speed and a big desire to win.”

Lundqvist had 21 saves, while Washington blocked 24 of the Rangers’ shots. Only Gaborik’s late slap shot, which glanced off Carlson before heading into the net, made it past Holtby.

The Capitals have now won the last four times they’ve faced elimination in Game 6, and they’re 7-1 this postseason in games they’ve scored first.

Now it’s back to New York on Saturday for the right to play New Jersey in the Eastern Conference Finals – an appearance that would be the Capitals’ first since the 1997-98 season.

“Yeah, you know, it’s where we want to be,” Holtby said. “We didn’t expect a short series. We expected six or seven, so we’ve put ourselves in a good position and we’ll approach it like any other game and just do the little things right. If it pays off, it does.”

CAPITALS: Four-Minute Penalty Kill A Bit Different Than Monday

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By ZAC BOYER | zboyer@freelancestar.com | @ZacBoyer

WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals successfully killed off a double-minor for high sticking in the second period of their 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Wednesday, one game after the same penalty was their undoing Monday night.

Jeff Halpern was along the left halfboards in the offensive zone when his stick hit New York’s John Mitchell in the bridge of the nose, drawing blood. The Capitals responded with a four-minute penalty kill that saw the Rangers take only three shots on goal, with two others blocked and the sixth a miss.

“It sucked,” Rangers head coach John Tortorella said. “It kills you. It sucked.”

Washington even managed two short-handed opportunities, first by Marcus Johansson and, later, one by Mike Green on a poorly-timed Rangers line change.

New York won Game 5 on Monday when Joel Ward was sent to the box with 21.3 seconds remaining, scoring the tying goal with 7.6 seconds left and then the winner 1:35 into overtime.

The pair of penalty kills, plus three others in the game, has the Capitals at 19-for-23 while down a man in the series.

“You try not to let it sink too deep into your mind, obviously,” Matt Hendricks said. “You want to think positive.”

CAPITALS: Jeff Halpern Replaces Jay Beagle In Game 6 Victory

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By ZAC BOYER | zboyer@freelancestar.com | @ZacBoyer

WASHINGTON – Despite pregame assurances by Washington Capitals coach Dale Hunter that center Jay Beagle would be in the lineup, the third-line center was scratched for the 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Wednesday and replaced by Jeff Halpern, who made his first playoff appearance and played in his first game since March 23.

Beagle didn’t participate in the morning skate after sustaining an undisclosed injury in the Capitals’ 3-2 overtime loss Monday at Madison Square Garden. He did block a slap shot by the Rangers’ Anton Stralman off his right knee at 2:05 of the second period.

Hunter said two hours before the game Beagle “would play no matter what, if you know Beags” after saying earlier in the morning Beagle was “just resting his legs.”

“Jay’s been logging tons of minutes as we all know, and he’s been doing all the key things that have been helping us succeed, the little areas that a lot of times go unnoticed but are extremely important,” defenseman Karl Alzner said.

Beagle played in 41 games for the Capitals this season, missing 31 after sustaining a concussion Oct. 13 against Pittsburgh but playing fairly steadily since. He had been Washington’s top right-handed faceoff specialist in the postseason, winning a team-high 54 percent of his draws entering Wednesday, and had also served a crucial role on the penalty kill.

Halpern, who also filled in for Beagle in the morning skate, was a healthy scratch for 11 of the last 14 regular season games but played all but one of the previous 68. He was on for 20 shifts and saw 10:23 of ice time, most notably missing four minutes for a double-minor high-sticking call on the Rangers’ John Mitchell that bloodied the bridge of his nose.

CAPITALS: Penalty Kill Making A Difference As Postseason Progresses

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By ZAC BOYER | zboyer@freelancestar.com | @ZacBoyer

NEW YORK – The Washington Capitals have killed all but four of the 36 penalties they’ve incurred this postseason – an 88.9 percent success rate that had them in the top three of second-round playoff teams entering Game 5 against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Monday.

It’s a surprising feat, given that the Capitals’ 81.6 penalty kill percentage during the regular season ranked 21st and was 12th of the 16 teams that qualified for the playoffs.

“Actually, I think the last month of the regular season, I think if you go back to sometime in March, it’s been really good,” center Brooks Laich said. “We just feel comfortable.”

Washington has killed off 11 of 13 penalties it has faced in the series and also killed 21 of 23 in the first round against Boston, including a crucial kill of a holding call on Jason Chimera that came with 2:26 remaining in regulation in Game 7.

The Capitals also killed overtime penalties in the marathon Game 3 loss, including a tripping call on Alexander Semin with 2:28 left in the first overtime and Mike Green’s high-sticking call 2:35 into the third.

“Yeah, I mean, any time you play someone this much, this often, you get to know their tendencies,” said Troy Brouwer, who nearly had the Capitals’ first shorthanded opportunity midway through the second period in Game 4 on Saturday. “We know how they’re working their power play around. They’ve got a couple different setups that we’ve got a couple different looks for, and hopefully, we just continue to be good.”

Assistant coaches Dean Evason and Blaine Forsythe compile a video before each game that outlines not only the opponent’s power play units, but also the players’ tendencies, what they’ve done in the past and what they may try to do.

“We watch every little detail and we’re told every little detail, what to do,” defenseman Karl Alzner said. “It’s not like we’re going out there just improvising. [Evason] tells us to pressure a certain way or to get the puck, chip the puck to a different area, and that’s what we do.”

Monday’s game marks the ninth time the teams will play this season. Brouwer said simply playing a team so many times takes care of most of the preparation at this stage, if only because they’ve seen New York’s power play and know what the Rangers are going to do.

Only Michael Del Zotto, in the third period of Game 2, and Ryan Callahan, in the second period of Game 3, were able to score power play goals on Braden Holtby.

“The PK is one of the reasons we’re here,” Laich said. “It was great in the Boston series, and so far it’s been great in this series. We’ve given up some goals, but for the most part, when we’ve needed to kill, we’ve got it done. It has to continue to be a strength going forward. It has to be.”

CAPITALS: Mike Green’s Power Play Winner Evens Series With Rangers

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By ZAC BOYER | zboyer@freelancestar.com | @ZacBoyer

WASHINGTON – When the Washington Capitals entered the first of what would become a five-year playoff streak, the hope was that the nucleus of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green would be able to lead the team to sustained, continued success.

The trio’s presence has manifested itself in the form of Southeast Division championships and postseason runs, but they’ve never been able to lead the Capitals past the Eastern Conference semifinals.

They didn’t do so Saturday at Verizon Center, for it was just the fourth game of a best-of-seven series against the New York Rangers. They did, however, go a long way in making sure that their window of opportunity didn’t close, with each scoring a goal in a 3-2 victory.

“We needed to step up,” said Green, whose power play goal with 3:17 to play was the difference. “It was important that we got a win tonight here in our building and that it be the guys that need to start scoring. Alex is one of them, myself and Nicky. So it was good.”

Green, who battled a groin injury for much of the season, scored his first goal in exactly six months when he did so in the first round against Boston. The Capitals’ power play, stagnant at 1-for-10 on the series, wasn’t one of their strong points during the season, either.

But the two came together 27 seconds after the Rangers’ Carl Hagelin was sent to the box for slashing on John Carlson, a penalty that was evident when Carlson’s stick broke in two.

Players from both teams were in a scrum along the halfboards when New York’s Ryan Callahan tried to get the puck out of the zone. Instead, Capitals defenseman Dennis Wideman corralled it at the left point and sent it across the blue line to Green, who had Ryan McDonagh in front of him.

McDonagh considered laying out to block the shot but thought the better of it when Green cocked his stick, and the Capitals defenseman sent the puck past Callahan and to the left of goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

“He’s been wanting to score really bad and I don’t think he scored as much as he’d like to,” defenseman Karl Alzner said. “It was awesome. I don’t even know if he was trying to necessarily score on that or shoot for a rebound, but it was great that it went in, great timing. It was a nice time to get a power play, too.”

Ovechkin scored the first goal of the game 12:43 in, taking advantage of a turnover when rookie Chris Kreider tried to clear the puck from a scrum. He let go of a slap shot from the high slot, beating Lundqvist high and glove side.

Backstrom had to work harder for his. With Artem Anisimov bearing down on a check nearly 12 minutes into the second period, Backstrom instead elbowed the Rangers winger out of his way, then sent the puck around the boards to Jason Chimera. He went back into the slot, took the pass and took a shot that went over the right shoulders of both a kneeling Anton Stralman and an out-of-place Lundqvist.

Backstrom’s goal topped one by Anisimov that came 1:10 into the period. It was later answered by Marian Gaborik, who tapped in a pass from Anisimov from behind the net that Capitals goalie Braden Holtby thought came after an icing call.

Wideman, who went to play the long pass by Marc Staal, didn’t get there in time, and Anisimov had little difficulty kicking it back out to Gaborik, who scored the winner in the third overtime in Game 3.

“I had my hand up,” Holtby said. “I guess the guy behind the play waved it off, so that confuses me, because I was looking for a stick. But that happens. That happens in a hockey game, and it unfortunately confused me and Wides on the play. They got a good break and scored a goal.”

The Capitals’ goalie had only 18 saves, down significantly from the 47 he made in the nearly twice-as-long previous game. He was greatly aided by his defense; the Capitals blocked 26 shots, including nine from Jeff Schultz, compared to the Rangers’ seven.

Lundqvist made 24 saves in the defeat, with Ovechkin and Alexander Semin each taking four shots on goal.

The series will shift back to New York on Monday, where one team will push the other to the brink of elimination in Game 5.

“It’s good,” Alzner said. “It’s really good. It’s one of those pivotal games that I think changes the whole look of the series. If they would’ve went up 3-1, it would’ve been extremely tough. It’s as close to a must-win without being one as you can get.”