Capitals Hunter Calls Quits

Washington Capitals general manager George McPhee tried to persuade former player Dale Hunter to return to the team as its coach. This season, McPhee finally got his man -- just not for very long.

Hunter quit as Washington's coach on Monday after less than six months on the job, saying he wants to return to his family, his farm and the junior club he owns in Canada.

"It was the right thing to do," Hunter said.

He is the owner of the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, and he was the coach until McPhee beckoned in late November after firing Bruce Boudreau. Hunter's brother Mark took over as head coach of the Knights then, and one of Hunter's three children is an assistant. Hunter's 76-year-old father scouts for London; his sisters go to the games; another son lives nearby while attending college; his daughter is in the area, too.

Plus, Hunter and his brother own about 2,000 acres of farmland near his hometown of Petrolia, producing mainly wheat, along with corn and soybeans.

"I'm going home," Hunter said at the Capitals' practice facility, a couple of hours after delivering the news to McPhee. "I've got a good thing going there with the family, so I'll stay home."

Hunter said he doesn't plan on returning to the NHL.

He was a successful forward in the league for 19 seasons -- one of only four men whose jersey numbers were retired by the Capitals; the only player with 1,000 points and 3,000 penalty minutes in the NHL -- but never won a Stanley Cup. Never before an assistant or head coach in the NHL, or even the AHL, Hunter was sought by McPhee in hopes he could bring his on-ice "tough guy" persona to a roster filled with stars more likely to make a pretty pass than drop to the ice to stop a puck.

"He said, 'There's one way to play, and that's the right way to play, and I'll get them playing the right way.' He thought he could, and he accomplished what he thought he could do with them," McPhee said, "and now they're on the right path."

Hunter met with McPhee on Monday morning, two days after the Capitals were eliminated from the playoffs in the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers in Game 7.

"We could have very easily won that series," McPhee said.

The GM said he didn't even attempt to change Hunter's mind, because "there's no gray in Dale's life."

"I'd rather have him for six months than not at all, because he had quite an impact on this club," McPhee said. "He really taught this club the 'how' of how to win. They all wanted to win. They just didn't know how. The 'how' is being a team and sacrificing, and he sure got that out of this club."

Hunter went 30-23-7 -- a .500 record -- in the regular season after agreeing to a one-year deal to take over for Boudreau, helping the Capitals squeeze into the playoffs. Playing a defense-first, possession-oriented system with an emphasis on blocking shots, Washington eliminated reigning Stanley Cup champion Boston in seven games in the first round.

"He got everything out of this team that he could," McPhee said.

Another key move by Hunter was limiting captain Alex Ovechkin's minutes, saying it was dictated by game situations and the opponent's line changes. But it was clear that Hunter wanted players to focus on preventing goals more than scoring them.

Used to playing more than 20 minutes a night, every night, Ovechkin wound up with a career-playoff-low 13½ minutes in one game, and also had only his second zero-shot postseason performance.

"For me, personally, it was pretty hard, to be honest with you," Ovechkin acknowledged Monday.

The two-time NHL MVP and team captain called it a "hard year, mentally."

Other players generally said they understood Hunter's motives for moving on -- and generally expressed that they would have liked if he'd stuck around.

"I just had a little short chat with him and shook his hand and said thank you. I asked him if there's anything I can do to convince him to stay," forward Brooks Laich said. "He taught us as much about leadership and team aspects and respect amongst players and trusting your teammates as he did about hockey. He was like having another veteran in the locker room. He changed the culture around here a little bit, which the rest of us really enjoyed. He's leaving the team in a better state than he found it."

Whether Hunter's lessons will be followed when a new coach arrives remains to be seen.

"I know it's a long summer here, but hopefully guys remember that to win in the playoffs you have to sacrifice, block shots, do the right things," forward Troy Brouwer said. "That's just what he tried to instill in us the entire time he was here and the entire stretch down the playoffs."

Here's how Hunter summed it up: "You put skill with a hardworking, gritty team, and you've got a winner."

McPhee doesn't have a specific timetable for finding a replacement, saying it might happen by the NHL draft in June or perhaps not until August.

"I'm not in any rush," McPhee said.

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Rangers Wash Capitals to Win Series

Henrik Lundqvist went from shaking his head in disgust to raising his arms in celebration when time finally ran out on the Washington Capitals. Such is life as a New York Ranger these days.

Lundqvist was perfect in yet another nail-biting game that was razor close throughout the tension-filled, seven-game series, until the Capitals cut the Rangers' brief two-goal lead to one in the third period of Game 7. But Washington couldn't muster much else, and New York held on for a 2-1 victory on Saturday night that sent the top-seeded Rangers into the Eastern Conference finals against the No. 6 New Jersey Devils.

"We didn't expect the first blowout," said Rangers forward Brad Richards, who staked his team to a 1-0 lead just 1:32 in. "We expected another tight game. It came down to that again. It's just the way this series has gone, and it didn't change."

Michael Del Zotto also scored for the Rangers, who enjoyed the two-goal lead for all of 38 seconds before Capitals defenseman Roman Hamrlik made it 2-1 with 9:17 remaining.

Coming into Game 7, these teams were tied or within one goal of each other for 90 percent of the time, and the finale provided much of the same.

Lundqvist finished with 22 saves for the Rangers, who improved to 5-0 in Game 7s at Madison Square Garden. Now they will face the Atlantic Division-rival Devils in a rematch of the 1994 East finals, won dramatically by New York on Stephane Matteau's double-overtime goal in Game 7. That propelled the Rangers toward their first Cup title in 54 years.

It was that series that truly put this regional rivalry on an international stage. With stars on both sides, the Rangers and Devils, separated by just six miles and the Hudson River, played 27 periods of dramatic, tense hockey that ultimately resulted in each team winning a Stanley Cup over the next 13 months.

The Rangers have beaten the Devils in four of their five previous playoff meetings.

This next instalment will open Monday in New York. The Devils have been off since eliminating the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 5 on Tuesday.

"It feels good to get that win," Rangers forward Marian Gaborik said. "You have to enjoy it for a little bit, but Monday we start from scratch again. We need to feel good about ourselves and get ready for the next series."

New York and Washington alternated wins and losses from Game 1 on, and this one didn't come easy for the Rangers, who missed a chance to eliminate the Capitals in Game 6 on the road.

It was yet another heartbreaker for Washington, which was trying to reach the conference finals for the third time. Six of the Capitals' seven playoff losses were by one goal, and only one of their 14 games overall were decided by more than one.

As they came off the ice after the final buzzer, the Capitals could be seen and heard smashing their sticks against the wall as they headed down the hallway to their dressing room.

"It's disappointing," said Braden Holtby, who made 29 saves. "We really did believe in here that we had the team to do it all. We gave ourselves a great chance. It's a tough loss. What we can take out of it is that New York is a very good team. We didn't leave anything on the table."

Before the cheering subsided after Del Zotto's goal, Hamrlik sent a shot off New York forward Derek Stepan that fluttered past Lundqvist for his only blemish of the night and left him shaking his head.

Suddenly, the jubilant crowd was thrown back into a state of nervousness, even though the score board pleaded all night for the fans to "Believe."

"Anytime you experience a surge like this, the momentum can turn. But we didn't let it happen," Del Zotto said. "We weren't happy about some of our play in the middle period but we found a way to keep them at bay."

The shots were 12-11 in favour of the Rangers in the scoreless second period, and New York took over in the third with an 11-4 edge.

Both the Rangers and the Capitals reached the second round of this year's playoffs with Game 7 wins. New York knocked out Ottawa, and seventh-seeded Washington eliminated the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins.

"We played hard. It's tough to swallow," forward Brooks Laich said. "I don't think we exceeded anybody's expectations. We had higher aspirations."

History isn't all on the Rangers' side. Since playoff expansion, no club has played 14 games in the first two rounds and went on to capture the Cup. They did reverse a recent trend in which Washington eliminated them from the playoffs in two of the previous three years, including the Capitals' comeback from a 3-1 series deficit in the first round in 2009.

New York played a very disciplined game, taking only one penalty for delay of game against Ruslan Fedotenko in the third period. The Rangers' power play did nothing on its two chances, but keeping Washington's man-advantage unit off the ice helped secure this win.

The Capitals tried to pull Holtby for an extra skater with 1:22 left in the game, but he had to scramble back to cover the vacated net before he ever got to the bench.

He finally got off the ice, and the Capitals pressured in the Rangers' end. The puck was stuck in the corner when the final seconds ran out, and Lundqvist thrust both arms in the air as streamers poured down from the ceiling.

Matching the Capitals' quick start in Game 6, the Rangers jumped out quickly and took a 1-0 lead when Richards scored on New York's first shot.

Carl Hagelin used his speed to chase down a dump-in in the lower right corner of the Capitals' zone and curled behind the net with the puck on his backhand. As he came out the other side, Hagelin feathered a pass up to Richards, who one-timed a shot that beat Holtby inside the right post while Gaborik was in front of the net.

It was Richards' team-leading fourth goal of the series and sixth of the playoffs.

"It's a big goal. It gets the nerves out," Richards said. "You don't exhale, but you have the 1-0 lead. You got the crowd in it. They're not waiting for something to happen.

"They did it to us in Game 6 when they got an early goal. We did that tonight."

Although Washington controlled the puck for large chunks of the game, the Capitals yet again couldn't overcome the dreaded 1-0 deficit. The team that scored first won all seven games in the series. The numbers were even more stark for the Capitals, who went 0-6 in the playoffs after allowing the first goal and 7-1 when they grabbed the first lead.

Del Zotto started and finished the Rangers' second scoring play. He levelled Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin in the New York and moved the puck up ice. He eventually took a pass from Gaborik and snapped a shot past Holtby.

However, before the cheers subsided, the Capitals got back within a goal on Hamrlik's first of the playoffs.

This one was tight throughout.

Washington was outshot 12-11 in the second period, that featured a blank score sheet with no goals and no penalties. Midway through the frame, the Capitals kept the pressure on the Rangers with Ovechkin's line on the ice and camped out in the New York end for about two minutes.

As the tired Rangers chased Washington all around their zone and unable to change any players, the Capitals moved the puck side to side and up and down, seemingly keeping Lundqvist on a swivel. Many of their shots were offline, but the Capitals produced several prime chances that Lundqvist turned away -- each one drawing sighs, but appreciative cheers from the towel-waving crowd.

"We came up short. We played a good team and a great goalie," Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom said. "The Rangers played the way we played last game. They got a lead at the beginning and they controlled the game. We had some good puck possession in the second period but we couldn't get any real opportunities."

Mike Knuble had a good whack at the puck at the left post, but Lundqvist was there with his pad to keep it out.

Holtby, who became a father on Thursday, shook off Richards' early strike and seemed to gain confidence as the game wore on and the pressure built at the other end of the ice.

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Capitals Host Rangers in DC

No matter how seemingly devastating a defeat, in overtime or otherwise, the Washington Capitals -- from two-time NHL MVP Alex Ovechkin to playoff rookie goalie Braden Holtby -- simply do not allow setbacks to bother them. They regroup, get back out there and follow a loss with a victory, each time by the slimmest of margins.

Ovechkin rebounded from a rare zero-shot performance by scoring after 88 seconds Wednesday night, Holtby made 30 saves, and the Capitals recovered the way they always seem to, beating the top-seeded New York Rangers 2-1 to force a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

"We're resilient," Washington defenseman Karl Alzner said. "We have that thick skin. We know when to battle back when we need to and have to."

Never moreso than after Game 5 on Monday night, when No. 7-seeded Washington managed to blow a lead in the last 10 seconds of regulation. New York scored a power-play goal with 7.6 seconds left in the third period to tie it, and another 1½ minutes into overtime to win it.

The Capitals could have folded. Instead, they staved off elimination, and the teams will meet in New York on Saturday night to determine who will face the New Jersey Devils in the conference finals.

"It's where we want to be," Holtby said. "We didn't expect a short series."

He improved to 6-0 in games after losses this postseason.

That's why the Capitals are 4-0 in games that follow overtime losses in the playoffs. One other bit of proof that they know how to bounce back: They haven't lost consecutive games since March 22-23.

"Everyone, I think, counted us out," said Jason Chimera, who scored in the second period to make it 2-0, Washington's second two-goal lead of the series. "This is the way we are. ... We don't really crack."

Ovechkin's reduced role became a major talking point throughout these playoffs: Usually a 20-minute-a-game guy, he played as few as 13½ minutes in Game 2 against New York. He also came up quiet in Game 5 on Monday night, with no shots on goal, only the second time in 49 career playoff games that had happened to the man they call Alex the Great.

Before Wednesday's game, Ovechkin told reporters: "We just can't go home right now."

He helped make sure they didn't yet.

About 1½ minutes after the opening faceoff, Ovechkin dropped to a knee as he powered a slap shot just inside the right post from about 30 feet in front of goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

It was Ovechkin's 30th career playoff goal, tying the franchise record held by Peter Bondra, and came 15 seconds after Rangers defenseman Anton Stralman was sent to the penalty box for tripping Chimera.

Another miscue followed: Defenseman Ryan McDonagh wasted a chance to clear the puck, instead sending it along the boards right to a Capitals player. That giveaway led to a series of crisp passes by the Capitals -- Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green were credited with assists -- and an animated earful for McDonagh from Rangers coach John Tortorella.

That early edge proved to be a good omen for the Capitals, who are 7-1 this postseason when scoring first -- and 0-5 when their opponent scores first. In this series, all six games were won by whichever team led 1-0.

"Obviously, we talked about coming out and starting well, and they get a goal right away on the power play. It kind of set the tone for the game," Lundqvist said. "From there, it was just hard for us to get going."

Later in the first period, Ovechkin nearly scored one of his YouTube-ready, "How did he do that?" goals, somehow managing to lift the puck past Lundqvist while belly-flopping onto the ice. But the puck hit the crossbar. Then, at the opposite end of the rink, Ovechkin used his back to block a shot by McDonagh, preventing the puck from even approaching Holtby -- the sort of thing the Russian wing is not known for, but his teammates have turned into an art form this postseason.

The Capitals rank No. 1 in blocked shots during these playoffs -- the Rangers are No. 2 -- and Washington put together a 24-6 edge Wednesday. Ovechkin contributed three blocks.

"He had a lot of energy," Capitals coach Dale Hunter said. "He's ready to go when he's called upon, and he played a good game tonight."

Rangers Capitalise on Garden Magic

Euphoria replaced pure panic at Madison Square Garden in a matter of moments, and even the most optimistic New York Rangers fan couldn't have seen this one coming.....

Rangers Cap Win in Game 5

Marc Staal scored a power-play goal 1:35 into overtime after Brad Richards tied it in the dying seconds of regulation to lift the New York Rangers to a stunning 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Monday night.

New York Find Range in Capital

Henrik Lundqvist had just spent the better part of 41/2 hours repelling pucks and shooing skaters from the crease in the pressure-packed situation known as the Stanley Cup playoffs.

When it was all over, after the calendar moved from Wednesday to Thursday and the New York Rangers had defeated the Washington Capitals 2-1 in three overtimes, Lundqvist was absolutely drained.

Capital Level Series at Garden

Washington Capitals Ovechkin feels heat in Game 2

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Chris Kreider Lifts Rangers

Kreider gives Rangers play-off lead

Boston in Capitals Bust

Joel Ward slammed home a rebound at 2:57 of overtime to give Washington a 2-1 victory over Boston in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series on Wednesday night, sending the Capitals to the Eastern Conference semifinals and ending the defending Stanley Cup champion Bruins' hopes of a repeat.

Rookie Braden Holtby stopped 31 shots for Washington in the seventh one-goal game of the series. Matt Hendricks also scored for the Capitals, who barely made the playoffs this year after finishing atop the Eastern Conference in each of the previous two seasons -- and winning just one postseason series combined.

"It's a nice sense of accomplishment to be able to get over the hump," Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner said. "It's nice to turn the page, and maybe we're writing a new script."

Tim Thomas made 26 saves for Boston, which was hoping to become the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997-98. Tyler Seguin scored the Bruins' only goal.

It was the first time in NHL history that a playoff series had seven games determined by one goal. Four of the games went to overtime, and two others were decided with less than two minutes left in regulation.

"It was very close," Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara said. "We shouldn't be disappointed in what we did this season. We just came up short."

Hendricks scored midway through the first period, and Seguin tied it in the second. It stayed that way through a scoreless third, with Washington killing off a penalty in the final 3 minutes to send the game into overtime.

Patrice Bergeron had a chance to win it in the first minute of the extra period, but he couldn't get off a solid shot from Holtby's right. Two minutes later, the Capitals broke into the Boston zone with former Bruin Mike Knuble leading a 2 on 1.

Knuble shot, and Thomas left the rebound out where Ward could reach it with his backhander.

"When I saw the puck there, I just took a whack at it," Ward said. "It was a sense of relief, a great accomplishment."

The building fell silent as the Capitals celebrated just their third postseason series win since a run to the Stanley Cup finals in 1998. Some fans littered the ice with debris, but the Bruins waited patiently for the postgame handshake.

Thomas, the reigning Vezina and Conn Smythe Trophy winner, gave Holtby a tap on the shoulder and said, "Great job, kid."

"I'm proud of our team against the defending Stanley Cup champs," said Holtby, a third-stringer making his playoff debut because of injuries to Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth. "I don't get rattled. It's one of the things I learned: To be able to get to this level you have to be like that."

The Capitals earned more than 100 points in the previous three seasons, leading the NHL with 121 in 2010, but had little to show for it once the postseason started. They won just two series in three years and have not made it out of the East semis since 1998, when they made it to the Stanley Cup finals but were swept by Detroit.

This year's regular season wasn't as successful, with coach Bruce Boudreau fired in November and replaced by Dale Hunter.

But the playoffs have a chance to be even better.

Waiting until the final games of the season to clinch a playoff berth and getting bumped up to a No. 7 seed on the final day, the Capitals won three times in Boston -- they also won Games 2 and 5. Their second-round opponent won't be determined until after Game 7s Thursday night between Ottawa and the New York Rangers, and Florida and New Jersey.

"I'm not going to watch the games," Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin said. "I'm just going to chill and control my moods and control emotions."

The Bruins needed an unprecedented three Game 7s to win the Cup last year, including the 4-0 victory over Vancouver that gave the Original Six franchise its first title since 1972. Thomas also had a shutout in the Game 7 win over Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference finals.

But that streak ended midway through the first period when Carlson shot from right point and Hendricks tipped it past Thomas' right shoulder to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead.

The Bruins tied it with 5:33 left in the second when Holtby kicked Andrew Ference's shot wide to his left to Johnny Boychuk, whose shot trickled through the goalie's pads and into the crease. Seguin dove for it, with two defenders crashing on top of him, and swiped it into the net to make it 1-1.

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