Montreal Canadiens 5 – Washington Capitals 6 (OT): The Script

It was close, real close. For the Montreal Canadiens it would have been a huge, prediction-breaking step in the Eastern Conference Playoffs series against the Washington Capitals. The Habs were less than two minutes from closing the deal, but once the beast got loose there was no time to fight back.

John Carlson scored the tying goal for Washington late in the third, setting the table for the final comeback. Washington, based on a sparkling performance by Nicklas Backstrom, rebounded from a 4-1 deficit and won Game Two in the overtime.

Backstrom scored the winner with a bullet high on Jaroslav Halak glove side with only 31 seconds into the OT.

For the Canadiens, the formula was the same from Game One. They resisted the initial storm and with their first shot on goal they took the lead, a slapshot from Brian Gionta that José Théodore couldn’t handle.

The surprise grew even bigger seven minutes later when Andrei Kostitsyn stunned the Verizon Center with a snapshot that shook the pipes before entering the net. Two shots, two goals. Théodore was done.

Washington fought back after Eric Fehr finished a breakaway to perfection, still in the first. But the Habs extended the lead in the second with two more goals by Kostitsyn, the first after a great feed from Michael Cammalleri from behind the net.

The Belorussian completed the Hat Trick by deflecting a Jaroslav Spacek’s slapshot from the point. A lucky break for Andrei, who showed an unusual smile on his face.

After that it was all Washington. Backstrom put the 4-2 with a slapper through doubtful traffic. Halak raised his hands on the refs but no interference was called. Later, Ovechkin tipped in a rebound from the Canadiens’ goalie for the 4-3. It was his first goal in the series.

Backstrom cashed in his second of the night, goalmouth, after a great pass from Ovie, with 10 minutes left in the third. The Habs regained the lead with a beauty between Cammalleri and Plekanec. The Czech pushed in a great pass from No.13 with five minutes to go. But then, Carlson showed up to even things once again, leading the way for Backstrom's final shot.

Now, here’s the Game's Script:

The main characters:

The Hero: Nicklas Backstrom

Hat trick, the winning goal, and an assist. Backstrom quickly returned the hit after the Habs fourth goal with a slapshot from the circle that beat Halak through traffic. The goal fueled the Caps offense and showed the way for the comeback. The center wrapped up his perfect night with a laser past Halak for the win, only 31 seconds into the OT.

The Villain: Benoit Pouliot

A tough choice but No. 57 carries the guilt by taking a tripping penalty in the offensive zone with less than five minutes left in the third. Even though the Habs would kill that penalty, Washington grew in confidence resulting in John Carlson’s goal with 1:21 left on the clock. Pouliot hasn’t been a factor in the series despite the fact he shares line with two of Montreal´s top players: Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez.

The Sidekick : Alexander Ovechkin

Game one is just a forgotten memory for Ovie. The Russian rebounded from his poor Thursday's performance and finished the night with four points, including the Caps’ third goal. His energy pumped the team since the beginning. Eight hits, five of them in the first six minutes of the game, talk about his desire to win.

The Extra: Mike Green

Another night the young defenseman would like to forget. His lack of offense dented Washington’s productiveness, especially on the power play. Defensively, Green looked out of place and was responsible in Tomas Plekanec’s goal, letting the forward alone in front of the open net. In Andrei Kostitsyn’s first goal he got caught backing up, a similar image from Game One.

The key moment in the plot: John Carlson’s goal

Montreal was 1:21 minutes away from going back home with a 2-0 lead in the series. That would have been a major step against the best team of the league, but the Habs couldn’t hold it. In a blink, a delayed penalty and a great assist by Backstrom broke the momentum in favor of Washington. Carlson’s slapshot was perfect, top corner. A great play by the 20-year-old defenseman.

The Stat:

The last player of the Canadiens to record a Hat Trick in the playoffs was Eric Desjardins, in the '92-'93 Stanley Cup Final against Los Angeles Kings. Montreal won the cup that year, their last to date.

The quotes:

“Now it feels like we put the pressure on them and we got the momentum back.” – Nicklas Backstrom.

“We watch video and he (Jaroslav Halak) leaves lots of rebounds and our coach tells us just go to the net and find some rebounds.” – Alexander Ovechkin.

“We're in good shape. But there was going to be a penalty call and it seems like it froze our players. We gave them the blue line and it was a good shot that beat (Halak).” – Jacques Martin, on the Caps tying goal, late in the third.

“I think we did a lot of good things. We're still getting better. We're still excited about our potential. It was a good game.” – Michael Cammalleri.

All quotations from NHL.com game recap. http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2009030112