Time CAPSule - Flyers at Caps, April 19, 2008

Earlier this season, we posted Alex Ovechkin](https://www.nhl.com/capitals/news/early-times-of-the-great-eight/c-311761890) and another Nicklas Backstrom](https://www.nhl.com/capitals/news/backstrom-takes-center-stage/c-313921356). In the process of crafting those stories and talking to the subjects themselves and many others, we were reminded of how exciting and thrilling the 2007-08 NHL season was in these parts.

It stands as Ovechkin's career year, it was Backstrom's rookie year, Bruce Boudreau took over behind the Washington bench on Thanksgiving Day, and the Caps made the playoffs for the first time in five years, winning 15 of 19, 11 of 12 and seven straight at season's end to come back from a dismal 6-14-1 start to win the Southeast Division title.

That season and that run into the playoffs augured in the "Rock The Red" era of hockey in DC, the beginning of 11 playoff appearances in a span of a dozen seasons. At this time a dozen years ago, the Caps were in the midst of that wild run. With the NHL's 2019-20 season "paused" for the foreseeable future, we're going to spend the next month looking back at the day-to-day of that remarkable late-season run, revisiting some of our coverage at the time with some fresh hindsight mixed in. On the off days between games, we will revisit some events from earlier in that landmark season. Enjoy!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

A little more than 36 hours after they suffered a double-overtime loss to the Flyers in Game 4 of their first-round series in Philadelphia, the Caps face postseason elimination for the first time in the Alex Ovechkin/Nicklas Backstrom era. Through four games of the series, the Caps have shown flashes of the team that won 15 of its last 19 regular season games - and each of its last seven - to claim the Southeast Division crown in their 82nd and final game of the campaign.

Now, the Caps need three straight victories in order to advance to the second round, and they'll need to win those three games in a span of four nights. Because the Washington-Philadelphia series was the last of the eight first-round series to get underway, the Caps and Flyers would pay the price on the back end of the series if it went the distance. Game 6 would be Monday in Philly and Game 7 a night later in the District.

For the Caps though, first things first. They need to win one in a row, three times. It starts with a Saturday matinee on F St. with the Caps still seeking to find their game, the one that propelled them into the playoffs.

Here's our preview of Game 5 on that Saturday afternoon a dozen years ago.

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April 19 vs. Philadelphia Flyers at Wachovia Center

Game 5, Eastern Conference quarterfinal series (Philly leads, 3-1)

Time: 1:00 pm

TV: NBC

Radio: 3WT 1500AM, 820 AM and 107.7 FM

Washington Capitals (43-31-8, 94 points in regular season)

Philadelphia Flyers (42-29-11, 95 points in regular season)

Pushed to the brink of elimination by virtue of Philadelphia's 4-3 win in a hard-fought double-overtime Game 4 on Thursday day night, the Capitals now need three straight wins over the Flyers to keep their season alive. Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series between Philly and the Caps takes place Saturday afternoon at Verizon Center. Puck drop is at 1 p.m.

Although they played their best game of the series in Game 4, the Caps were ultimately undone by a third period bench minor for too many men on the ice - their second such infraction of the game - and their inability to cash in on some prime scoring chances.

"On the first one, I can't recall," says Caps coach Bruce Boudreau, when asked about the bench minors. "On the second one, one of our players jumped and he wasn't up, maybe because the crowd was so loud and I didn't hit him on the back. I was shouting, 'Stecks' line,' and he heard, 'Feds' line.' It was an unfortunate mistake."

Philadelphia's Danny Briere took a brilliant feed from Mike Richards and scoring the tying goal on the ensuing Flyers power play midway through the third period of Game 4. It was Briere's third power play strike of the series and his fifth overall in the four games. And it was enough to push the contest to overtime, where Philly's Mike Knuble won it after 26:40 of extra action.

"Nothing is easy, obviously," says veteran Caps center Sergei Fedorov. "We had our scoring chances and we didn't capitalize. They had one and they bang it in. It's adversity that we have to face right now. I think we played pretty well overall."

Even in defeat, the Caps hope to take some of the positives from their strong performance and effort and carry those over into Saturday's Game 5 as they battle for their playoff lives.

Goaltender Cristobal Huet played his best game of the series on Thursday, making several excellent saves to keep Philadelphia from lighting the lamp. The defense settled in after a rugged first few minutes, and it took precision plays by Flyers defenseman Jaroslav Modry and Richards, respectively, to produce Philly's second and third goals.

Forwards Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin and Viktor Kozlov had struggled in the first three games but all three played their best hockey of the series in Game 4.

"It was the first game I thought we played at the level of play that we can play at, and I think we can play better," notes Boudreau. "It's like Rocky getting knocked down eight times and realizing he's still in the fight. He's not knocked out yet. We're still there, and we'll fight until we get knocked out."

Alex Ovechkin hasn't scored a goal since he potted the winner in Game 1, and he is still having difficulty getting his shots through and on goal. But he made his presence felt in other ways on Thursday, leading all comers with 10 hits and assisting on two of Washington's three goals.

"Any game he doesn't score, he's due the next game," says Boudreau, when queried about Ovechkin. "He's got five points in four games, but his bar is set so high people are expecting miracles from him. The longer the series goes the more chance it's going to happen that he is going to break out."

In the aftermath of Thursday's heart-breaking overtime loss - Washington's third consecutive setback in a multiple-overtime contest - Ovechkin accepted the blame for Knuble's game-winner. But he and his mates can't afford to dwell on Game 4.

"I know in playoffs you don't want to get down," says defenseman Steve Eminger. "We've got to park this, as tough as it is [losing] in overtime we've got to somehow park it. We're kind of used to do or die games, and that's what we're going to have for the next three."

Throughout NHL history, 223 teams have been down 3-1 in a Stanley Cup playoff series, a hole in which Washington currently resides. Only 20 of those teams have gone on to win three straight games and take the series, putting the mathematical probability of the occurrence at about one in 11.

For Washington just to get into the playoffs, it had to win seven straight games to close out the regular season, and 11 of its final 12 contests. The odds of either of those streaks are greater than what the Caps now face, so they are not in unfamiliar territory.

"Everybody counted us out after Game 2," says Boudreau, "and they counted us out after Game 3. I'm sure they're counting us out now. But when they had to win seven in a row they did it, so don't ever count us out."

Now, the Caps have to win one in a row, three times. Boudreau has successfully maneuvered through a series in which his team was down 1-3 once before, in 1999 with the ECHL's Mississippi Sea Wolves. That Boudreau-led team came back to beat the Richmond Renegades in the Kelly Cup finals.

"We won in Mississippi [in Game 5]," recalls Boudreau, "and it was the exact same situation. You win your home game you go on the road and you've got to win that one game in Game Six. Then you take it home and you've got to take care of business there."

Philadelphia has been the better team in this series, and has certainly been the more opportunistic team. The Caps are cutting back on their mistakes, but Philly still manages to make the most of Washington's miscues. The Flyers scored in the first minute of Thursday's game, and they also netted a goal in the final two minutes of the first frame. That marked the fourth straight period in which Philadelphia scored a goal in the final two minutes of the session.

On Knuble's overtime winner, the Caps were caught out of position down near and below the goal line.

"It was kind of a mental mistake on our part and those always seem to bite you," rues Eminger.

"Sometimes when you miss opportunities," Boudreau laments, "it comes back to bite you. That's what happened."

Now, the Caps will need to bite back just to play another day. They don't have room for error any longer.

Fun Fact:Losers of three straight games, Washington has not yet lost as many as four straight in any fashion during Boudreau's 65 games as the team's head coach. The Caps endured three separate three-game skids (an 0-2-1 and a pair of 0-1-2 droughts) under Boudreau during the regular season.

Injuries

Philadelphia Flyers

Defenseman Mike Rathje has a back/hip injury and is out indefinitely.

Left wing Simon Gagne has a mild concussion and is out indefinitely.

Washington

Defenseman Brian Pothier has an upper body injury and is day-to-day.

Defenseman Jeff Schultz has an upper body injury and is day-to-day.

Center Michael Nylander underwent shoulder surgery and is out 3-6 months.

Right wing Chris Clark has a groin injury and is day-to-day.

Possible Line Combos and Defensive Pairings

Philadelphia Forwards

19-Hartnell, 48-Briere, 40-Prospal

9-Upshall, 17-Carter, 22-Knuble

20-Umberger, 18-Richards, 15-Lupul

25-Thoresen, 34-Dowd, 24-Kapanen

Philadelphia Defensemen

5-Coburn, 44-Timonen

2-Hatcher, 6-Jones

26-Modry, 21-Smith

Goaltenders

30-Niittymaki, 43-Biron

Washington Forwards

8-Ovechkin, 91-Fedorov, 25-Kozlov

21-Laich, 19-Backstrom, 28-Semin

24-Cooke, 39-Steckel, 10-Bradley

87-Brashear, 15-Gordon, 14-Fehr

Washington Defensemen

26-Morrisonn, 52-Green

23-Jurcina, 3-Poti

4-Erskine, 44-Eminger |

Goaltenders

37-Kolzig, 38-Huet