WAS vs PHI

Caps make the Flyers pay dearly for their undisciplined play and penalties as they get two power-play goals in a 3-2 win that forces a Game 6 on Monday in Philadelphia.

It was a costly loss for the Flyers, because Mike Knuble suffered a suspected torn left hamstring during a second period power play when his skate got stuck awkwardly on the ice. General manager Paul Holmgren said it’s “highly unlikely he’ll play the rest of the series.”

BRUCE BOUDREAU

Alexander Semin scored a goal in the third period that made it 3-1 and it turned into the eventual game-winner. “Evidently, it was a pretty important [goal] because one thing about the Flyers is they don’t quit,” he said. “In the third period, they came at us.”

CAPS START

They hit everything in sight. Kimmo Timonen was punished repeatedly by Alexander Ovechkin, who also managed to get six shots at the net. The Flyers were out-bullied for two periods. “Their season was on the line, so they really came at us hard,” said coach John Stevens. “To me, that’s a lesson we learned that won’t happen again. We gotta come out and we gotta initiate. We did a lot of good things as the game progressed, but there is no question that was going their way the first half of the hockey game.”

CAPS START, PART DEUX

Could the Caps possibly have played a better opening period, knocking the tar out of the Flyers? “I don’t think our team could,” Boudreau said. “If I had to draw up two periods on how to play, that was it. I guess this is what they said why playoff experience is so important. [Caps have so many young, inexperienced players]. [Alexander] Semin, [Nick] Backstrom, some of these younger guys are really playing good hockey right now.”

ALEXANDER OVECHKIN

Had speed the entire game and was able to get some distance on Timonen, who shadows him, and also able to be on the ice against other Flyer defensive pairs that can’t handle him. “When it gets tough, all we have is each other,” Ovechkin said. “It was a good game for us.” He said the Caps played much harder on the body and it showed. “If we play soft and we don’t have any energy, nobody understands us,” he said. “We know this game [Game 6] will be hard but we can do it. Nobody believes us. We believe in ourselves. We don’t care what the media say about us. We know we’re a great team. We just have to win the game.”

KNUBLE ON HIS INJURY

"There was about four minutes left in the second period. [Mike] Green had the puck and he was kind of like setting up to shoot. I went down. Maybe I was a little bit too anxious. I don't know. I changed my mind halfway through it. I think my skate got caught and kind of came over my heel and basically my leg was completely straight, bent forward and pulled a hamstring.".

Q: Was it caused by a rut in the ice?

A: No, I don't think it was a rut. I just kind of caught my heel and went down awkwardly. It was just an awkward moment. I was just trying to do too much almost instead of just staying on my feet.

Q: The last game ended with you on such a high and now this. How disappointing is this?

A: Individually speaking, to go from the excitement of the game before to hurting yourself the next game where you are facing the fact that you might be done for the series, that's pretty disheartening. You feel bad as an individual and you feel bad as a teammate. Now you have to watch the guys go out and try and win and you can't do anything to help. The way Scott [Upshall] and Jeff [Carter] and I have been playing so hard and so well, I guess hopefully, it is a chance for somebody else to step up and seize the moment and step in with Scott and Jeff and help us finish up the series.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Scottie Upshall seems to be a target of the officials during the series. “I thought there was some favour in their aspect tonight. Whether it is me or the black jersey, I’m not sure.”

TED LEONISIS QUOTES W.C. FIELDS ON GAME 6

“On the whole, I’d rather be in Philadelphia.”