Alexander Steen and David Backes had two goals apiece and the defense put the clamps on the Stars in a 6-1 Game 3 victory that put them up 2-1 in the second-round series late Tuesday.
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“We didn’t have our best game”, said Hornqvist to NBCSN. The Caps were facing a Penguins team that was missing its top two defencemen in Olli Maatta and Kris Letang, so it was imperative that they took advantage of the Pens depleted blue line.
“It’s not the best place to be”, Washington defenseman John Carlson said.
Pittsburgh-native Weber, back for the first time since the opening-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers, was trying to get the puck out when it flew directly to Hornqvist for his fifth goal of the playoffs and first playoff overtime victor.
Still, Washington needed just 2:58 to take its first lead since Game 1 as Beagle flipped a backhander Murray’s way despite being almost parallel to the goal line. To tie this Eastern Conference Semifinal, and ensure that it would return to Pittsburgh next Tuesday, the Capitals would need to take advantage of an increasingly tired and temporarily shorthanded Penguins squad.
Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said “common sense suggests” Murray should continue starting, considering his play.
Patric Hornqvist was the hero for Pittsburgh as the Penguins defeated the Washington Capitals to leave them on the brink of elimination.
Washington did everything right by peppering Murray with 47 shots in Game 4.
All that was left in the Washington Capitals’ dressing room shortly before midnight struck on Thursday were a half-dozen players, forlorn and frustrated. The Penguins were without star defenceman Kris Letang who was serving a one-game suspension.
Letang said he respected the NHL’s decision to suspend him for one game, but added that he never meant to hurt Johansson, who didn’t practice Tuesday or skate Wednesday morning. “It sort of reminds me a lot of a year ago against the Islanders (the Capitals fell behind 2-1 in the series), where we weren’t quite where we needed to be, and then, once we got there, it was a good buy in and we were fine”.
Contrary to popular belief, the Penguins are the better hockey team right now. “We’re going to try and play as much as we can in the offensive zone tonight and try to be hard to play against that way”.
They had finished Game 3 on a high note, including dominating the Penguins in shots, shot attempts and hits – everywhere but the scoreboard, as they lost 3-2.
Washington may have been the regular season’s best team overall, but no team came into the playoffs hotter than the Pittsburgh Penguins. ORPIK was given a 3 game suspension for his hit on MAATA because he did not return.
The Penguins can advance to the Eastern Conference final with a win Saturday in Washington. Not them”, Ovechkin said “Their guys don’t like to play physical.
The Presidents’ Trophy winning Capitals now have two full days off to focus on winning three straight, which would be a big feat considering the Penguins haven’t lost consecutive games since January 12-15.
“This group has dealt with a lot of things, I think they’ve handled adversity pretty well all year so they’ll have to do it again”, Trotz said”.
One interesting aspect of Letang’s explanation: he uses the word “respect” four times.
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Elsewhere, the Tampa Bay Lightning needed overtime but grabbed a 2-1 lead in their second-round series with the New York Islanders with a 5-4 overtime win on Tuesday night. The bounces didn’t go their way, but in Game 4, they’ll be desperate to win.
