The Blues bottled everything up in the neutral zone and created turnovers with the more aggressive forecheck, and they got some offense out of it too.
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The odds are still vastly in favor of the Penguins, and I say they close it out in Pittsburgh.
Sullivan has an easy solution for his team’s power play woes, but it’s easier said than done when playing against Washington’s tough penalty kill.
Line juggling by Trotz had some effect, although the Capitals managed just one 5-on-5 goal.
Malkin first tested Holtby up high, driving the puck off one of the goaltender’s shoulders with a one-timer from the right circle at 15:39. This one was deja vu of the first, clearly showing that the Caps have a formula and are unbeatable when they execute it: Oshie doggedly sticks with the puck and gets it to Ovechkin, who puts it on net. Although down by two goals, the Pens still had 21 shots compared to 12 for Washington after two periods. Trotz must have said all the right things before the second period, because Washington looked like the Presidents’ Trophy winners during the middle frame.
After a bad loss in Game 2 in Tampa, the Islanders came out with the increased aggressive play coach Jack Capuano was looking for back in front of the raucous home crowd in Brooklyn.
Veteran Justin Williams also scored to help Washington force Game 6 on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh. “And that’s the way that we’re going to have to play if we’re going to have success in this series”.
The loss adds to existing frustration for the Capitals, who dropped to 3-6 in their past nine games when outshooting opponents, including their past two in which they have tallied 40 or more shots on goal.
The Capitals have a huge task ahead of them, trying to beat the Penguins three times in a row, which no team has done since mid-December. Entering Game 5 against the Capitals, the Penguins had allowed only three power-play goals in 31 postseason chances.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have no desire to play another game at Consol Energy Center. If the Capitals want to win this series, it simply can’t stay that way.
Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang will also miss Game 4 after being handed a one-game suspension for a hit on Marcus Johansson in Game 3.
Five of the last six meetings between these two clubs have been settled by a single goal, however the total has played UNDER just twice over their past nine clashes, according to the OddsShark NHL Database. On Saturday, he was Mr. Game 5, which was just as good as important at this stage of the proceedings for the Capitals. While Braden Holtby didn’t face a ton of high-end chances throughout the contest, he came up big for his squad towards the end of the second period.
In the second period the play was back and forth with both teams exchanging their chances. The Capitals have been a No. 1 or 2 seed three times previously since 2009 and failed to reach the conference finals each time. With right winger Bryan Rust off for hooking, Ovechkin needed just eight seconds of advantage time to deliver a rocket over Murray’s shoulder and give the Capitals a 1-0 advantage. The bickering between teams and officials in the third period was a clear indication of frustration that had built up for the entire game. They got points from their top players and seem to have found line combinations that work, and the PK didn’t take a step back after allowing a goal.
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Around the league: Stars wing Jamie Benn, Capitals goalie Braden Holtby and Blackhawks wing Patrick Kane are the finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award, the Players Association’s league MVP trophy.
