Kings Of Leonsis

Six-point-six seconds.

There is not much you can do in 6.6 seconds. The Washington Capitals, however, proved that very notion wrong Monday. In 6.6 seconds, the Caps blew a game and possibly an entire series.

All Washington had to do was hold on for 6.6 seconds. Down by two men for 21.3 seconds due to a combination of Joel Ward’s double-minor and an empty net on the other side of the ice, the Caps had killed off 14.7 of them before Brad Richards broke free and beat both Braden Holtby and John Carlson to tie the game. Holtby’s attempt to snatch the loose puck failed and as a result, the only thing Washington snatched was defeat from the jaws of victory in a 3-2 overtime loss.

In 6.6 seconds, Ward transformed from a playoff hero into a playoff pariah. In 6.6 seconds, Washington’s highly-touted penalty kill vanished, while New York’s anemic power play finally showed some signs of life. Hours worth of work was undone in mere seconds.

Most importantly, in 6.6 seconds, Washington went from hosting an elimination game Wednesday at Verizon Center to hosting an elimination game Wednesday at Verizon Center. Except the Caps are the ones looking to stay alive.

Fortunately for them, they have at least 3,600 more seconds.

Hockey is a game of bounces. For as much skill and talent that is involved, it is usually a bit of luck that ultimately decides a game.

Michael Del Zotto’s second-period shot was not meant to pinball off of John Carlson’s left skate and Matt Hendricks’ right thigh on its way to the net. It was not supposed to fall right at the feet of Ryan Callahan in the crease, either.

When Carlson danced through the offensive zone just a few minutes later, Marc Staal successfully pokechecked the puck away from him, but it hit Carlson square in the chest. Carlson was then able to corral and settle the rolling puck before beating Henrik Lundqvist. That was surely not part of Staal’s original plan.

How apropos, then, that a game that lasted nearly five hours was decided in a matter of seconds by just one fortuitous bounce. Perhaps if Carlson does not block Brad Richards’ shot attempt as he entered the offensive zone late in the third overtime, then Richards does not get a second chance to redeem himself behind the net by assisting on Marian Gaborik’s game-winning goal in a 2-1 triple-overtime win. That is the way the puck bounces, sometimes.

“We had our chances,” Hendricks said. “We had some really good opportunities, a couple of posts. We just didn’t find the back of the net and they got the last bounce.”

Many exasperated and exhausted Caps fans will wonder “What if?” What if Alex Ovechkin’s shot in the first overtime that clanked off of the post was just a smidge to the left? What if Callahan did not scramble to block Jason Chimera’s one-timer later in the first extra session? What if Dennis Wideman’s shot, which ricocheted off several bodies in front before hitting the post, would have had the same luck as Del Zotto’s?

Yet, that same puck luck has benefited Washington just the same. What if Mike Knuble’s rebound did not squirt right in front of Joel Ward in overtime of Game 7 against the Boston Bruins? How about Chimera’s goal Monday? What if Brian Boyle was not towering over Braden Holtby as Mike Rupp shot towards what should have been an open net? Sometimes, something extraordinary is made out of something ordinary. The Caps, who have had half of their 10 postseason games extend into overtime and nine games decided by one goal,  are used to that by now.

“We’ve had so much experience and so much comfort in the one-goal games that we’re comfortable with it,” Troy Brouwer said. “Moving forward here, I’m assuming that most of our games are going to be tight. Just the style that we play is very patient, very defensive. When we get our opportunities, hopefully we capitalize. We had quite a few opportunities. [Ovechkin] hit the post, [Wideman] hit the post. I had a good chance, it just rolled over my stick. The chances were there, we were creating a lot. We just have to find one to get past them.”

Despite talk of bounces, the Caps must stay grounded. As Karl Alzner said Wednesday, “[we] can’t let [ourselves] get too high or too low.” Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom. The most important bounce for Washington will be bouncing back.

“We weren’t able to get the goal, but no reason to hang your head and pout,” Brooks Laich said. “We were right there. We’ve gotta rebound.”

A professional sports team is a lot like a theater production. There are stars, those who bask under the spotlight and garner the most adulation. Then there are the role players that accompany them. These complementary pieces can go unnoticed, but are integral to the success of the show.

Broadway has hosted its fair share of memorable performances, but the Washington Capitals provided a unique twist on an age-old formula Monday in a 3-2 Game 2 victory over the New York Rangers as the understudies stepped out of the shadows and thrust themselves into the limelight.

The fourth line of Joel Ward, Keith Aucoin and Mike Knuble, which already had its breakthrough moment in Game 7 of the Caps’ previous series against the Boston Bruins, further cemented itself with a beautiful display of passing to give Washington its first lead of the evening. Later, back by unpopular demand, Jason Chimera reprised his most notable role with a goal eerily reminiscent of his most famous game-winning tally from last spring. Jay Beagle also continued his ascension into relevance, barely missing a new career-high for ice time by just 13 seconds. Lest we forget the breakout star of the postseason, Braden Holtby, who burned brighter Monday in a bounce-back performance.

“They’ve been awesome,” Brooks Laich said of the supporting cast. “Two of the most underrated lines that are going. [Beagle's] line, it’s gotta be terrible to play against those guys. [Ward], [Knuble] and [Aucoin], they’re a force every time they’re on the ice. They don’t complain about ice. They play the way that they’re told and they’re very difficult to play against. The contributions those guys are making can’t be overlooked. They’re driving the bus right now.”

Of course, a great production must have some sort of drama and Monday’s game had it in spades. The Caps jumped out to an early 2-0 lead only to squander it midway through the third period. Meanwhile, Alex Ovechkin, the star of Washington’s show and the biggest name on the marquee, was not given the opportunity to perform in front of his adoring public – who literally counted down the seconds before chanting his name, albeit mockingly – due to a career-worst amount of ice time. Yet, for the grand finale, Ovechkin took center stage with the game-winning power play goal. As he cupped his left hand to his ear, Ovechkin heard nothing but faint boos as the Garden faithful fell quiet, but to him, it was better than any standing ovation.

“Yeah,” Ovechkin said while smiling in regards to silencing the rowdy crowd. “It’s kind of fun.”

On Broadway, there are two types of runs. There are limited runs, in which a show only lasts for a short amount of time, but that is not the type of run that the Caps are looking for. They are looking for an open-ended run, one with no end in sight. With a win Monday, the Caps kept the final curtain suspended for a little longer.