2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs Blog - Conference Semifinals

There was some question about Simeon Varlamov’s ability to bounce back from a bad goal in a tight game with plenty of offensive pressure. The New York Rangers never really provided that type of challenge in Washington’s opening series.

Varlamov provided a resounding answer Saturday afternoon.

He made 34 saves in the Capitals' 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh, including one on Sidney Crosby that will be on highlight films for years to come. He is now 5-2 in these playoffs with a 1.29 goals-against average and a .951 save percentage.

Crosby had a sure goal late in the second period, but Varlamov dove back to stop the shot with the heel of his stick just before it crossed the goal-line.

“He never gives up. Even in practice, he’s tough to score on,” Capitals forward Brooks Laich said. “He flashes out a stick or a glove or something and makes the save. [Varlamov] is very poised and composed back there, and at that time that’s a huge save.”

Added Nicklas Backstrom: “I don’t know how he got that puck. He was amazing and the reaction he has all the time, it’s pretty amazing. Hopefully he can keep it going.”

Varlamov tied a franchise record with four straight playoff wins. He also came back strong after yielding a soft goal Pittsburgh defenceman Mark Eaton midway through the middle period.

“There was no other option left to me – I just had to play it with my stick,” Varlamov said of the save on Crosby. “There was nothing else I could do. If he put the puck anywhere else, it would be in the net, so I guess it was lucky.”

As for shrugging off a bad goal, Varlamov continues to show maturity beyond his birth certificate.

“That goal was just my mistake. That’s all,” said the 21-year-old. “Games like this, you shouldn’t be hard on yourself. Even after you allow a softie, you don’t have the right to be upset too much.”

Crosby scores, Ovechkin scores, Malkin struggles

Sidney Crosby opened the scoring, but he also missed the sure thing and had several other great chances. Crosby had six shots on net, and his line (with Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz) dictated the play nearly every time it was on the ice.

“You have an open net like that, you want to take advantage of it,” Crosby said. “We ended up losing the game 3-2, so you look back and say ‘what if’ - but the fact is that happens in the game. As a player you have to forget quickly.”

Crosby raised his arms after he sent the puck along the ice toward the middle of the goal.

“I wanted to make sure they checked it,” he said. “I knew it was close, but I wanted to make sure they checked it because it was right on the line.”

Evgeni Malkin assisted on Eaton’s goal, but he was the missing superstar for much of this contest. There were a few of his signature soirees with the puck, but he generated fewer scoring chances than the other front-line centres.

All of Washington’s top offensive weapons were involved. Alex Ovechkin had a goal and nine shots on net. He also had one shot off the left post – “The posts played well today,” he joked.

Alexander Semin and Backstrom set up both Ovechkin and Tomas Fleischmann for goals. Semin made a pair of pretty slap-passes.

“He never panics with the puck,” Laich said. “Sometimes you wonder if he’s even awake because he’s so calm. But he makes great plays with great vision.”

Backstrom’s feed to Fleischmann under the stick of a diving Sergei Gonchar was in the perfect spot.

“It was a great play by [Semin] and [Backstrom],” Fleischmann said. “I just went to the net, stopped at the net and chipped it over. I usually go to the net because those two guys like to pass. I just go to the net and make a screen or something but it was open there and [Backstrom] made a nice pass.”

Penguins power outage

Pittsburgh’s power play wasn’t very effective against the Philadelphia Flyers, and it wasn’t any better Saturday. The Penguins went 0-for-5 on the power play, including two chances with the team down a goal in the final period.

“There are areas we’ve got to tighten up. I thought 5-on-5 we did pretty well,” defenceman Brooks Orpik said. “I think the story at the end of the day was their power play got it and ours didn’t. That was the difference.”

The Penguins are now 4-for-37 in this post-season on the power play and have no goals in the past four games. Meanwhile, the Caps had only two chances but converted a 5-on-3 and are now 3-for-6 in the past three games with the extra man.

Just getting started

The Capitals are now 7-1 in Game 1s against the Penguins. Considering how close this game was, and how Washington is 1-6 against Pittsburgh in the post-season despite the fast starts, there is a pretty strong chance this series could be a long one.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg, boys,” Laich said. “We realize they are a very good hockey team.

“They are who we thought they were. They’re very deep, they play hard, they play aggressive and they’re going to be tough to beat.”