Capitals stay alive in 4-0 win

Matt Bradley scored his first two playoff goals, Alex Ovechkin added a highlight-reel tally, rookie Simeon Varlamov posted his second shutout of the opening round, and the Washington Capitals beat the New York Rangers, 4-0, in Game 5 on Friday night to avoid elimination.

The seventh-seeded Rangers, who decided to play without Sean Avery, lead the best-of-seven series, 3-2, heading to Game 6 in New York on Sunday.

Alexander Semin also scored for No. 2 Washington, and the Rangers pulled goalie Henrik Lundqvist after two periods, replacing him with Steve Valiquette.

It was an all-around lousy trip to Washington for Rangers Coach John Tortorella, who threw a plastic drinking bottle over the glass and into the stands during a confrontation with a fan in the third period.

The Capitals are in a familiar position: They also faced a 3-1 deficit against the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round last season before rallying to win Games 5 and 6 -- only to lose Game 7 at home in overtime.