NHL

Capitals Confront Game 7 Demons vs. Penguins

Game 7 may be the most exciting phrase in sports to a lot of people. Probably not for the Washington Capitals. 

The Capitals have lost six of nine Game 7s in the Alex Ovechkin era, including a heartbreaker in each of the last four years. Wednesday night is the chance for the team to confront its Game 7 demons as Washington hosts the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins with a spot in the conference finals at stake. 

"I don't know whether from coaching or playing whether you get into a mental block or not," said Bruce Boudreau, who coached in Game 7 four times with the Capitals. "I think Washington for sure is due to win. But in the end, your best players have got to be your best players."

For the Capitals, that means more production from Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov, and strong goaltending from Braden Holtby when the puck drops for Game 7 against the Penguins (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN). In those nine Game 7s, Ovechkin has three goals and three assists, and at the moment he is earning praise from teammates and coach Barry Trotz in this series for accepting a demotion to the third line. 

"I don't know if there's any hump to get over," said Trotz, who is 1-1 with the Capitals in two Game 7 opportunities in 2015. "I just think with this group that I've been with, our Game 7s have been pretty solid. You're not going to win every one. But I thought our game was really, really quite good in both those Game 7s."

Whether it was Marc-Andre Fleury stopping Ovechkin on a breakaway in 2009, Jaroslav Halak stopping 41 of 42 shots in 2010, losing by one goal to the New York Rangers in 2012, getting shut out by the Rangers in 2013 or losing in overtime at the Rangers in 2015, Game 7 just hasn't been kind to the Capitals. 

"At the end of the day they're a different team," said Adam Oates, who coached the Capitals' 5-0 Game 7 loss in 2012. "I think they're the better team right now, so hopefully they play that way. Based on (Monday) night I don't see any reason why they won't."

Beating the Penguins emphatically 5-2 in Game 6 in Pittsburgh is why Boudreau believes the Capitals will win Game 7. Their last Game 7 victory at home came in the first round in 2009 with Boudreau behind the bench when Sergei Fedorov scored the OT winner to knock off the Rangers. 

"I've got to believe that (the momentum from Game 6 is) going to roll over, that they're finally sick and tired of hearing that they haven't gone to the third round and will break through," Boudreau said. 

Copyright The Associated Press
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