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Flyers advance on Lupul's overtime goal

Apr 23, 2008 - 4:29 AM WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Joffrey Lupul was not about to let history repeat itself.

Lupul scored a power-play goal at 6:06 of overtime to lift the sixth-seeded Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-2 victory over the third-seeded Washington Capitals in Game Seven of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series Tuesday.

Scottie Upshall and Sami Kapanen tallied in regulation and defenseman Kimmo Timonen recorded a pair of assists for Philadelphia, which will take on the top-seeded Montreal Canadiens in the conference semifinals.

"Everybody was doubting us right from the get-go, especially after losing that first game, blowing a two-goal lead, and losing the last two games," said Philadelphia's Daniel Briere, who recorded an assist. "Everybody thought we were dead again (Tuesday), but here we were going into overtime. ... We didn't care about what happened previously. It was all about finding a way to get that goal to send us into the next round."

"We've got the heart that we've always said we have," Flyers coach John Stevens said. "They find ways to do good things as a group. ... I'm just happy. You just love to see a group have some success."

Martin Biron made 39 saves for the Flyers, who went 2-for-6 with the man advantage.

"He was terrific. He had to be," Stevens said. "I thought we had a lot of faceoffs in our own end there in the third and again in the first overtime. That might be his best game as a Flyer."

Rookie Nicklas Backstrom and superstar Alex Ovechkin scored for the Capitals, who were attempting to become the 21st team to overcome a three-games-to-one deficit in a best-of-seven playoff series.

"I just told them they gave me the greatest year of my life and I thank them," Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said of his postgame speech to the team. "We'll talk (Wednesday). They don't want to hear too much and I couldn't say too much at that point."

"I was shocked. I just was disappointed," Ovechkin said. "I was a little confused. We have lots of chances to put it in the net and we don't put it in. ... It's tough to lose this series."

Washington - which fell to 1-5 in Game Sevens - already had accomplished the feat in 1988, when Dale Hunter scored in overtime against Philadelphia in Game Seven of the Patrick Division semifinals to erase a 3-1 series deficit.

Twenty years later, the Flyers exacted revenge with the help of a tripping penalty committed by Capitals defenseman Tom Poti.

A shot from the slot by Briere was blocked, but the puck bounced back to Timonen, who fired it on net from above the left faceoff circle. Cristobal Huet made the save, but Lupul grabbed the rebound and backhanded it around the goaltender's right pad for his first goal of the series, silencing the sellout crowd at the Verizon Center.

"I tipped the puck originally and it bounced down to the side of the net," Lupul said. "(I) just did what you're supposed to do. I put it in the net."

"I would like to see it again," Huet said. "I was trying to find the puck, but they found it before us. ... They got a good bounce. It was definitely frustrating."

Lupul appreciated the confidence Stevens showed in him by putting him on the ice at such a crucial moment in the game.

"I hadn't had a goal all series and I missed several open nets, and he's got me out there on the power play in overtime for almost the whole time," Lupul said. "That's something that he's done all year - stick with guys when they're struggling. It gives you confidence as a player."

The goal improved Philadelphia to 7-6 all time in Game Sevens and 2-3 in seventh games on the road. It also ended the 30th Game Seven that went to overtime in Stanley Cup playoff history and first since Calgary topped Vancouver in the 2004 Western Conference quarterfinals.

Boudreau did not disagree with the penalty call on Poti, which came shortly after Capitals blue-liner John Erskine got away with a trip of his own.

"I don't think the refs wanted to call the penalty at all," Boudreau said. "I think John Erskine might have gotten away with one in the same position about a minute and a half earlier, so they said they have to make a standard. I thought it was a penalty (on Poti). He tripped him. What are you going to do?

"Sometimes you say, 'It's overtime or the third period, Game Seven, you let it go.' But you can't deny that he didn't trip him."

While disappointed with the loss, Ovechkin was optimistic about Washington's future.

"We have unbelievable team," the 22-year-old Russian said. "Great experience (to) fight for playoffs the last two months and come back after (being down) 3-1 in the series. I think we deserve more. But it's life, it's hockey. One moment can change everything.

"We have young team and we have great experienced guys. I hope everybody stay here next year because we have great chemistry and everybody support each other."

With all the momentum on their side following victories in Games Five and Six, the Capitals took advantage of a 5-on-3 power play to jump in front in this one.

As Philadelphia's Scott Hartnell and defenseman Derian Hatcher watched from the penalty box, Ovechkin unleashed a slap shot from the blue line that went wide of the left goalpost. But the puck caromed off the end boards to Backstrom, who buried it from the right side at 5:42 for a 1-0 lead.

The tally extended Backstrom's goal-scoring streak to four games.

The Flyers answered with a man-advantage goal later in the period to forge a tie.

From above the left faceoff circle, Upshall drilled a shot that got between Huet's pads and trickled across the goal line with 4:22 remaining, knotting the contest at 1-1.

"I never saw the puck coming," Huet said. "I tried to cover as much net as I could. Maybe I spread my legs a little wide to make sure if there was a tip, I was wide enough to not get scored on. But unfortunately, it went through my pads and in."

Hatcher made a pair of big plays to prevent scoring chances on 2-on-1 rushes early in the second period, and the Flyers took advantage of a non-penalty call to take the lead midway through the session.

Biron fired the puck up the left wing to Patrick Thoresen, creating an odd-man rush. The Norwegian dished to Kapanen, who initially did not get off a shot from the slot.

After spinning around, Kapanen threw the puck toward the net, but it was stopped. Thoresen then checked Washington defenseman Shaone Morrisonn into Huet, allowing Kapanen to fire the puck into a vacant net from the right circle at 9:47 for a 2-1 edge.

The Capitals protested to no avail, as it was ruled Morrisonn was playing the puck when he was checked by Thoresen.

"It could have been a penalty. The guy definitely pushed Mo into me," Huet said. "I just tried to get up and make sure that if the play was still alive, to get back into the net. But I saw the arms in the air, and that wasn't a good sign."

"I don't know, those things are subjective," Boudreau said. "You're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't. I didn't think (the goal) should have counted, but that's my opinion."

Poti, who also disagreed with the penalty call in overtime, was upset with the officials' decision to allow the goal.

"It's tough when two teams battle that hard to have the refs decide the game," Poti said. "Their second goal was clearly goaltender interference. Their guys pushes our guy into the goalie. And at the end, there was no way that was a penalty."

Washington did not allow Kapanen's tally to dampen its spirits as it got another big goal from its marquee player to even the game.

Just two seconds after a power play expired, Ovechkin ripped a rising wrist shot from high in the left circle past Biron with 4:31 to go in the second, tying the contest at 2-2.

In Game Six on Monday, Ovechkin netted a pair of goals in the third period to snap a tie and lead the Capitals to victory. The Art Ross and Maurice Richard Trophy winner also scored the game-winner in the series opener.

"He didn't get a lot of goals between Games One and Five, but he did get some great opportunities and made some great plays to other guys," Biron said. "He still ends up with four goals in the series. Two are game-winners, one was the tying goal today and one was an insurance goal. He showed up at key times in games when they needed him."

Neither team was able to gain the edge in the third, when Washington outshot Philadelphia, 16-5. The Capitals' best chance came with just under three minutes left, when Ovechkin intercepted a clearing pass by Timonen at the blue line and - instead of shooting - opted to pass for a tip-in attempt that went awry.

"A couple of (their shots), they could have gone ahead," Biron said. "We got fortunate enough to squeak past the third period. ... Every time you get a shot, you hope you can make that next save to buy your team a little time to get some bounces or to get any offense. In the third period, it was all about trying to buy some time."

"Late in the third, they had a lot of really good chances," Lupul said. "Marty stood tall for us."