Nick Bonino scored at 6:32 of overtime to give the Penguins a 4-3 victory against Washington at Consol Energy Center Tuesday. If the Capitals are wise, they’ll allow this offseason to be one of tinkering and not eruptions. However, only 19 of Washington’s attempts got on goal, while Pittsburgh managed 31 shots on goal. It was a heck of a shot, too. Twice, they recovered from three-goal deficits to win. The big storyline coming into the series was the Caps’ powerful PP against the Pens’ shutdown PK, but we haven’t seen too much of either. An astounding run of bad luck in playoff series dating to 2008? He had to play a guy, Mike Weber, who hadn’t played at all to that point in the playoffs and it was his giveaway in overtime that cost Game 3.
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Three times. In a row. He talks about his own saves and misses with distance, as if someone else was in the net and he just happened to be watching from the stands. They knotted it when Pittsburgh repeatedly went to the box for shooting the puck over the glass. But this team obviously wasn’t good enough. It’s what he had done all season, as he played his way to leading contender for the Vezina Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL’s top goaltender.
Like Ovechkin, Trotz has never made it past the conference semifinals.
Trotz said that’s what you want to see: Two teams, at the height of their powers, battling it out for the series win.
With Capitals already trailing 1-0, the game turned in the Penguins favor when Orpik got called for a high-sticking double-minor with 13:35 left that put the Penguins on the power play for four minutes.
The Penguins, who are in the Eastern final for the first time since Boston swept them in 2013, will have home-ice advantage against the Lightning.
Washington winger T.J. Oshie beat Murray from inside the right dot at 18:30 for his fifth of the series to start the Capitals’ comeback.
“I don’t know what to say”.
It appeared as if momentum was swinging in the Capitals’ favor. The Pittsburgh Penguins are on the verge of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2013, when they were swept by the Boston Bruins.
Of the 16 goals scored by the Penguins during the series, 14 were collected by players not on the roster when general manager Jim Rutherford took over in the summer of 2014.
Questioned at times – and legitimately so – for his lack of work ethic and leadership, Kessel was eventually shipped to the Penguins for centre Nick Spaling, forward Kasperi Kapanen, defenceman Scott Harrington, plus first- and third-round picks from 2016.
When it finally ended, there was no usual ritual for Braden Holtby. He is certain the puck is in the net and the game is over and is nearly stunned that it is not. The Penguins came out focused and flying, dominating the Caps in all facets of the game though the first 38 minutes.
That play by Beagle is the exact type of play that gets made by a team that is destined to win.
Pittsburgh Penguins’ Carl Hagelin, center, is congratulated by teammates Olli Maatta (3) and Conor Sheary (43) after he scored against the Washington Capitals during the second period of Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference semifinals, Tuesday, May 10, 2016 in Pittsburgh. The results were immediately positive and the line instantly began clicking on all cylinders.
In the end, the Penguins were only a little better.
Heck, a vastly different Pittsburgh Penguins team. “This group of guys can do better and bigger than just the second round”.
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One the Penguins have earned by gravitating toward the blunt, driven and relentless Sullivan, promoted from the club’s AHL affiliate to replace the professorial Mike Johnston.
