Member » WASHINGTON (AP) Jon Cooper’s

Tampa Bay Lightning won Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final despite going the equivalent of more than a period without a shot on goal.They won despite falling behind about 4 1/2 minutes into the game.They won despite being called for three penalties – one right after the other – late in the first period Tyler Johnson Jersey , allowing Alex Ovechkin and the rest of the Washington Capitals’ prolific power play to get all that time to operate.And they did it, mainly, thanks to Andrei Vasilevskiy, who made 36 saves and kept things close until Alex Killorn scored the tiebreaker with about 8 minutes left, lifting Tampa Bay to a 4-2 victory over Washington on Thursday night, evening the series at two games apiece.”When you don’t have your `A’ game, you need your goalie to have his `A’ game,” Cooper said. ”And he sure did.”Now the Lightning will host Game 5 on Saturday night, with Game 6 back in Washington on Monday.The road team has won every game in the series so far.”It’s pretty bizarre,” said Steven Stamkos, who took a puck of the face during the morning skate, then went out and scored a power-play goal that gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead after the first period. ”We’ve got to find a way to win one at home.”The Capitals might be thinking the very same thing. After all, they fell to 3-5 in the nation’s capital this postseason, while they are 7-1 in away games.On Thursday, they even got booed – yes, a smattering of jeers rang out in the team’s first conference final in 20 years – late in the first period after failing to convert any of the trio of man-advantage chances.That stretch was part of a chunk of nearly 21 full minutes of game time – the last 10:41 of the first period, followed by the initial 10:11 of the second – during which Tampa Bay never putt a single official shot on net.”Our guys were gassed. That’s a lot of stress. Mental stress. The same guys are on the ice the whole time. Other guys aren’t playing,” Cooper said. ”You kind of lose your whole rhythm.”And so it was vital that Vasilevskiy played just like the Vezina Trophy finalist he is.He was spectacular at times Victor Hedman Jersey , including stops against Chandler Stephenson on a breakaway and Nicklas Backstrom – who returned after missing four games with an injured right hand – from the doorstep in the second period. In the third, Vasilevskiy used his left glove to swat away a try from Brett Connolly.Following one flubbed chance, Ovechkin threw his head back and looked up, the very picture of disappointment.After allowing 10 goals in Games 1 and 2, Vasilevskiy has given up a total of four in Games 3 and 4.”He didn’t play great in the first two. He played well in the second two. It’s our job to make him look like the goalie from the first two games,” Washington forward Tom Wilson said. ”We’ll make it hard on him.”Capitals goalie Braden Holtby didn’t get a chance to make nearly as many saves, given the shot discrepancy: Washington ended up with 38 to Tampa Bay’s 20. And Holtby allowed goals on two of the first five shots he faced, to Brayden Point and to Stamkos. Anthony Cirelli added an empty-netter with a second left.The go-ahead goal came thanks to a defensive breakdown, when Killorn was left pretty much alone and scored 6 seconds after a Tampa Bay power play expired, putting in a pass from Ondrej Palat.”Tonight was so important,” Killorn said. ”Going down 3-1 in a series is tremendously different from 2-2.”After his score, Killorn said, ”We played our best hockey.”That’s true.Washington’s goals had come from Evgeny Kuznetsov – off an assist by Ovechkin – in the second period, and defenseman Dmitry Orlov in the early going. But late, the Capitals could not get the tying goal in, even after pulling Holtby with a little more than 2 minutes to go so they could play 6-on-5.”Of course,” Ovechkin said, ”it’s a missed opportunity.”NOTES: Stamkos has one power-play goal in each game of the series. … The Lightning have produced 11 power-play goals over their last nine games Yanni Gourde Jersey , with at least one in each. … Lars Eller was whistled for both of Washington’s penalties and has five in the past two games. ”That was way too many,” Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. … Kuznetsov’s 21 points equaled Ovechkin (2009) for the most by a Capitals player in one postseason.— VANCOUVER, B.C. — Ken Hitchcock is supposed to be retired, but the Edmonton Oilers are glad he isn’t.The Oilers (18-12-3) are enjoying a resurgence under Hitchcock as they get ready to visit the Vancouver Canucks (15-16-4) on Sunday. Edmonton is 8-1-1 in its past 10 games and has gone 9-2-2 since Hitchcock came out of retirement and replaced the fired Todd McLellan last month.Three other teams that made early-season coaching changes wish they could say the same. The Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues are sporting losing records under their new bench bosses.Article continues below ...But Hitchcock is not claiming to be a miracle worker. He credits McLellan for laying a solid foundation.“A lot of the work was done by (McLellan) and his staff,” Hitchcock, 66, told reporters. “We’re part of the same coaching tree. Todd, (Calgary coach) Bill Peters, (Toronto’s) Mike Babcock, myself. So the terminology was easy… and then I do what I do. It’s just concepts, it’s not Xs and Os. A lot of concepts (were), quite frankly, in place. … I didn’t have to touch anything.”Hitchcock entered retirement — for the second time — following the 2017-18 NHL season after lasting only one forgettable campaign in his second go-round with the Dallas Stars, the team that he coached to a Stanley Cup title in 1998-99. He was fired by St. Louis before the end of the 2016-17 season, which was supposed to be his last before retirement.The Edmonton native is enjoying good times with his hometown team after succeeding at the NHL, international and junior levels. But he claims not to be offering a new voice to the Oilers.“I think it’s the same stuff, but a different approach Auston Matthews Jersey ,” he said during his session with reporters. “I’ve learned over time that the pre-game preparation is one of the most overrated things in our sport – because you’re saying the same things over and over again. But post-game preparation is not. It’s really important. And, how you move the train along the tracks is all in your post-game review.”Alex Chiasson has gotten back on track with Edmonton. He fired home his 14th goal of the season — a single-season career high — in his 27th game as the Oilers beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 on Friday in the Alberta capital. Chiasson needed 79 games in his 2013-14 with Dallas to record his previous career high.He was essentially unwanted after helping Washington win its first Stanley Cup last season – and only obtained a contract from the Oilers after making good on a professional tryout offer.“When you win a Cup, it is a little surprising he didn’t have a deal or nothing,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid told reporters. “He came in on a PTO and worked hard and earned a job and has been having a great year. I couldn’t be happier for him.”While Chiasson helps the Oilers with their renaissance, Josh Leivo is rejuvenating his career with the Canucks, who have won four of their past five games. Leivo scored in Vancouver’s 5-1 win over the Flyers on Saturday night. He now has three goals and an assist in six games with the Canucks following his trade from Toronto on Dec. 3.“It’s a young group of guys, very light and fun in the room. So that was easy to come into,” Leivo told reporters Saturday morning. “And on the ice, everyone looks like they want to win.”Leivo, 25, became expendable in Toronto after the Maple Leafs re-signed holdout winger William Nylander. The Canucks sent prospect Michael Carcone to Toronto in return.After struggling to stay in the Leafs’ lineup, Leivo is now skating regularly on Vancouver’s first line with rookie sensation Elias Pettersson and sophomore sniper Brock Boeser.“We’re putting (Leivo) in a spot that we hope he can succeed in,” Canucks coach Travis Green told reporters. “It’s a pretty good opportunity when you’re playing with (Pettersson) and (Boeser). That’s a spot that I think a lot of people in the NHL would love to have.”So far, Leivo is earning it.