But a Bonino goal 6:32 into the extra frame erased all the indiscretions from a period earlier that should have cost the Penguins the game and instead punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference finals with a 4-3 win.
Advertisement
The Capitals did score before the end of the second period, but even then, RinkStats.com’s algorithm gave the Penguins a 93.52% chance of winning the game entering the third. Especially, with all of the talent possessed by Pittsburgh, making them one of, if not the favorite to win the Metropolitan Division for the next several years. Forget the group that started the season; this was the exact scenario that would’ve railroaded any Pittsburgh team since the franchise’s 2009 Cup win. “I am. I am crushed, because I believed there were a couple of instances in the third period where the Capitals defied death – they did”.
It remained that way until Justin Williams scord another big goal in another elimination game with just under 12 minutes to play in regulation to close the gap to one. You can’t deny he shows up in the post-season.
Holtby said he couldn’t key in on who had the puck and went after Hagelin as he one-timed the initial shot. Chris Kunitz, Nick Bonino, and Ian Cole all committed delay of game penalties 3 times in a row. Other than something that is ridiculously blatant, it is probably true. “Three overtimes. I like playing against Washington”. The Capitals couldn’t get out of their own zone.
Carlson’s fifth playoff goal, a shot that bounced and skipped by Murray during a 5-on-3 power play tied the game with 6:59 to play. Glenn Healy mentioned on the broadcast that no team in the history of the Stanley Cup Playoffs had ever been charged with three of those penalties in one game.
Tampa Bay defenseman Anton Stralman is still recovering from a fractured left leg. Forward J.T. Brown is dealing with an upper-body injury while Steven Stamkos remains out while dealing with a blood clot.
Like Ovechkin, Trotz has never made it past the conference semifinals. The only thing stunning about it is that it was actually called (and kudos to the ref for calling it, because it needs to be).
It could have meant a trip back to Washington, D.C. for Game 7.
The Pittsburgh Penguins ousted the Presidents’ Trophy winners from the second round with a 4-3 overtime victory May 10.
At 7:23, Washington fought their way back into the game.
Three delay-of-game penalties from the Penguins in two minutes.
In fairness to the Washington Capitals superstar, however, the burden of blame for the disappointing defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins should not be plopped on Ovechkin’s shoulders, as convenient as it might seem. This year, they couldn’t even push the Penguins to that point.
Jay Beagle nearly became a hero with his game-saving play in overtime, but mere moments later he became just a footnote after Bonino beat Holtby, who tied a regular season record with 48 wins this season, to ice the series. Braden Holtby was the League’s top goaltender. If you rely too heavily on a pair of players to carry you, from a point-production standpoint, you are going to fail. A total of 16 national teams, qualified to play in the 2016 IIHF World Championship, were divided into two groups. “For us to deal with it the way we did and come out and play the overtime the way we did”. On the goal Hagelin found a sliver of real estate in the slot where Phil Kessel made a very nice pass. It led to a shot on goal and Nick Bonino was the net front presence.
The Penguins are 27-9 in the interim after beating Washington for the eighth time in nine playoff meetings.
“Resilience” has been a word that coach Mike Sullivan has used around the Penguins from pretty much the day he arrived in Pittsburgh. The next few months are going to be spent searching for those answers.
Advertisement
“Over the course of the game there’s always times you could look back and say, ‘I could have shot that maybe,”‘ he said.
