Fitkul.cz | Diskuse

od **liny195** » čtv 23. srp 2018 7:31:51

COLUMBUS Derrick Nnadi Jersey Chiefs , Ohio — The Columbus Blue Jackets find themselves moving deep into uncharted waters.

They’ve never led a Stanley Cup playoff series let alone taken a 2-0 lead. After winning both games on the road against the Washington Capitals in overtime, the Blue Jackets return home for Game 3 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series on Tuesday night at what’s expected to be a lively and loud Nationwide Arena.

“I just think we found our confidence at the right time and feel good about ourselves,” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said after the 5-4 victory in Game 2 on Sunday night. “It’s a bridge that we have crossed and I hope we stay on the right side. We go out there knowing we’re going to win. It’s a bit of a swagger they have.”

The excitement is palpable in Columbus in anticipation of Game 3 after forward Matt Calvert scored the winner from the doorstep with one hand on his stick in Washington. But there’s plenty of work to do to win a playoff series for the first time in team history.

“We’re going to keep getting better,” Calvert said. “We’re going to keep learning every day. We’ll be ready for Game 3.”

More than any other player, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is responsible for the Blue Jackets’ two victories. He was peppered with 58 shots by the Capitals in Game 2 but came up with big saves time and again when Columbus was backed up in the defensive zone for long stretches.

“I would say your career is a journey and you learn some things here and there,” Bobrovsky said. “It doesn’t matter what’s in the past. We’re going to play (Game 3). It doesn’t matter what happened (in Game 2). Each moment is huge right now and you just have to be ready.”

The Blue Jackets are just the fifth team to overcome multi-goal deficits in back-to-back playoff games in NHL history, but that’s also a concern. They’ve fallen behind in both games largely because of too many penalties — 13 combined in Games 1 and 2.

The Capitals have scored on five of 13 power-play opportunities so far.

“I think we have a way of (staying out of the penalty box),” Tortorella said. “We just need to be more consistent doing it. We can’t be (taking penalties) all that time. It’s just impossible. They’re too good. That has to be straightened out moving forward.”

The Capitals still have plenty of skill with Alexander Ovechkin leading the way, and they definitely have more postseason experience than the Blue Jackets.

Washington was in the same boat last year when it dropped the first two games of its second-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Capitals rallied to force Game 7 before falling.

In 2009, the Capitals were trailing 0-2 against the New York Rangers before coming back to advance. But they’re also just the sixth team in league history to lose two at home in overtime to start a seven-game series, and all five ended up being eliminated.

So while there’s a sense of urgency for the Metropolitan Division champions given their past playoff failures, it’s not yet desperation.

“Right now we’re sitting here two in a hole Cheap Kerryon Johnson Jersey ,” Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. “But at the same time, your group has an opportunity to grow, fight their way back.

“There’s a lot of character in our room. Our group has a lot of fight in it. We’re not going away. We’re going to be around. You’re going to see us dig in. You’re going to see us fight. We’re going to see something happen here. I’m excited to get to Columbus and for Game 3.”

The Capitals have outplayed the Blue Jackets for long stretches, but they’ve let leads slip away and the final result hasn’t gone their way.

“We’ve got to win, and that’s what we come for,” Capitals defenseman John Carlson said after contributing six assists in the first two games. “We don’t come to outplay them, we don’t come to outshoot them. You have to win, and we didn’t do it.”

Trotz has yet to indicate whether Philipp Grubauer or Braden Holtby will start in goal on Tuesday night. Holtby replaced Grubauer in Game 2.

“I think we’ve got to manage to not only get the lead but hold onto it,” Grubauer said. “It’s not easy. It’s a tough team to play against. But we made it really hard on ourselves, too.”

One Capitals player who definitely won’t see action in Games 3 or 4 is winger Andre Burakovsky, who suffered an upper-body injury in the first period on Sunday and did not make the trip.

So many times this season, New England’s defense made plays when it had to give Tom Brady and the Patriots offense a chance to win.

But with the man responsible for the biggest defensive plays in Patriots’ Super Bowl history watching from the bench Landon Collins Jersey , it couldn’t figure out the Philadelphia Eagles in a 41-33 loss Super Bowl loss on Sunday.

Malcolm Butler, whose interception in the end zone sealed New England’s Super win over Seattle in the 2015 Super Bowl, didn’t play a defensive snap on Sunday.

Bill Belichick said only that they ”put the best players in the game plan like we always do.” Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said Butler was in parts of the game plan, but those parts weren’t used in the game.

Butler missed a day of practice last week with an illness. He warmed up and was in uniform, but watched the game’s biggest moments from the sideline. It was the first Patriots game in which Butler did not play a first quarter snap since their Super Bowl win over Seattle to cap the 2014 season. He started 17 of New England’s previous 18 games entering Sunday, including both playoff victories.

He seemed exasperated afterward, telling reporters: ”I ain’t got nothing to say.”

Without him, New England’s defense – and particular the secondary – had trouble keeping Foles and Philadelphia’s offense in check.

New England allowed 41 points, more than they have given up in any Super Bowl in the Belichick era. It also surrendered 538 total yards, including 373 through the air to MVP Nick Foles. LeGarrette Blount, a former Patriots running back, rushed 14 times for 90 yards and touchdown.

Eric Rowe started in Butler’s place. He struggled early Ryan Switzer Color Rush Jersey , giving up three catches for 66 yards, including Foles’ first touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery.

Butler’s teammates seemed confused by the change, which cornerback Stephon Gilmore said they didn’t find out until game time.

”Could he have helped us out? I don’t know. He wasn’t out there, so I don’t know,” Gilmore said. ”We just couldn’t never get off the field. I mean, we could never make a play to give the ball back out our offense.”

The Eagles punted only once in the game and converted on a pair of fourth downs.

The Patriots offense did its part. It didn’t punt and had no turnovers through three quarters. After playing from behind most of the night, Brady gave New England its first lead of the game, 33-32 on a 4-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski with 9:22 to play.

But when the Patriots needed a hero late, no one was able to make a big play.

And on the ensuing drive New England safety Devin McCourty couldn’t keep Zach Ertz from stretching the ball across the goal line for an 11-yard touchdown reception from Foles that wound up being the game winner .

The Patriots entered the game with 159-15 record, including a perfect 16-0 in the playoffs, when they had won the turnover battle.

They had the first one of the night, on an interception by safety Duron Harmon in the first half.

But it wasn’t enough.

Philadelphia used some trickery Authentic Jake Guentzel Jersey , facing fourth-and-goal on the 1 with less than a minute to play in the half.

After a timeout, the Eagles got the ball to Trey Burton on a reverse, who flipped a pass to a wide-open Foles for a touchdown.

New England pulled to within 22-19 after scoring on the opening drive of the second half.

The Patriots defense would break down again, though, this time letting Corey Clement get behind Marquis Flowers and McCourty for an over the shoulder 22-yard catch in the back of the end zone.

Safety Patrick Chung was shaken up on that play and missed a few series. He returned to action in the fourth quarter but had to leave again late in the game with a head injury.

”There was nothing we hadn’t seen. We just didn’t play good fundamentally,” Rowe said.

He said Butler was a presence on the sideline even though he didn’t play.

”After that first touchdown he just came up to me and was like `Keep playing. Keep your head up. It’s a long way. It’s a long game.’ So he wasn’t upset,” Rowe said. ”He was being a great teammate.”

—

.